Another Chance
by BloodyRose1979
Summary: 'He was gone…turned to dust before my very eyes. There was nothing I could do to save the one I love…but this time will be different.' A former espada is given another chance to save the one she loves. Will she succeed? Will she finally get her happy ending? Or will she lose everything once again, including her own life? OC x Ulquiorra. Slight AU
1. The Chance of a Lifetime

**Author Note: Don't worry, I'm still going to be working on _From Two Separate Worlds_ I just wanted to put this up and see what kind of ****responses it gets.**

 **Warning: Non-canon couples. Please don't get on my back about them; they'll pretty much only be there this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo.**

Chapter 1: The Chance of a Lifetime

He was gone…turned to dust before my very eyes. I told myself that it was enough that he reached out to me in his final moments but a big part of me was unsatisfied. What would have happened between us had he survived? I had no way of knowing and there wasn't really anyone I could blame; Ichigo hadn't been in control of himself and not even Orihime could have saved him at that point but both still felt responsible. I was grateful that Orihime had at least helped him understand the heart enough for him to actually see that I was always there for him even when he didn't need or want me to be. Did he realize what he meant to me…did I mean something to him? There were so many questions that would never be answered.

I sat solemnly by the riverside, lost in my thoughts once again but not so lost that I was unaware of the presence behind me.

"I'm not going to kill myself, Orihime. There's no need for you to follow me around."

 _If I was, it would have been a long time ago,_ I thought.

She sheepishly came out from around the wall at the corner, where she was had been watching me, and came to sit next to me. I sighed as she gave me that look of pity and regret again.

"I'm sorry it's just…you don't seem to be coping well at all." She spoke carefully, as if her words would send me over the edge.

"It will take many years for me to move on…I did love him more than anything else after all."

"I know what it's like to lose a loved one…"Her voice went soft, no doubt she was thinking about her brother."But I had Tatsuki there to make the pain easier to bare but…you don't have anyone." Tears started to form in those gray orbs.

"I have you." I told her, hoping to stop the tears before they could start. She looked at me in surprise before giving me a huge smile.

"That's right…I'll always be here if you need me." I appreciated the offer but I knew I would never really seek her out for comfort or support despite seeing her as a friend; I didn't tell her that though.

"There you are!" We turned at the new voice.

"Uryu!" Orihime cried happily and ran over to hug her boyfriend.

I stayed where I was, watching them sadly. Remembering that I was there, Orihime released him and put some distance between them, hoping to spare me the pain from watching their display of happiness. Surprisingly, it was me that the quincy was looking for.

"Kisuke wants to see you." I frowned at the mention of the former captain.

"Did he say why?" I asked, reluctant to see the man.

"No."

I frowned but still rose to follow the two to the Urahara Shop. I hesitated outside the door, remembering all the unpleasant questions I endured there. I sighed then opened the door.

"Ah! Just the person I wanted to see." The shady shop owner exclaimed, walking towards me.

"What do you want?" He snapped his fan open and brought it up to his face, no doubt to cover his smirk.

"Why don't we all sit down first?"

He gestured for us to follow him, which I reluctantly did so. I knew I should have left right then but I was curious. He opened the door to the sitting room and waited for us to walk in first.

"Ichigo?" Orihime cried out, surprised to see the substitute soul reaper already sitting at the table. "What are you doing here?"

"Kisuke dragged me here…wouldn't explain why."

He glared at Kisuke then spotted me standing behind Orihime. He looked to the side, eyes darkened by guilt. I walked into the room and took a seat without addressing him. _I've already told him many times that I don't blame him._

"So…" Kisuke looked towards me from his seat across the table when everyone was seated. "Do you miss him?"

There was a tense silence after that question.

"What the hell?"

Ichigo slammed his fist on the table, glaring at the man. "Why would you ask such a thing?" Kisuke ignored him and kept staring at me, waiting for my answer.

"Yes." I replied, glaring at the man.

"Would you do anything to get him back?" My eyes narrowed further.

"What is this about?" I asked tensely, regretting my decision to go there.

"I believe I've invented a device that will reunite you with your lost love."

"What?" We all exclaimed in unison.

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small cube made of smooth metal. It was about the size of his palm and seemed to radiate its own spiritual pressure. I couldn't take my eyes off it. _This thing can help me see him again?_ I desperately wanted it but I wasn't the type to foolishly believe in something.

"What exactly does it do?" I asked.

"It isn't possible for me to revive him…however, I can send you to an alternate timeline where he is still alive."

"Alternate timeline?"

"Indeed. There are in fact many timelines besides our own and they can be very similar to ours or completely different." He held the cube up. "This device can send you to one of them. However, there is no way of knowing how similar that timeline will be or what point in time of that timeline you will be sent to."

"Can it send me back far enough to save him?"

"It's possible." I was completely convinced at that point.

"How does it work?" I could feel everyone's eyes on me but I ignored them and kept my eyes locked with Kisuke's.

"You just have to fill it up with your spiritual pressure."

"Why did you make such a thing? Surely it wasn't solely meant for her." Uryu suddenly asked.

"I actually started researching time travel after my exile." He looked down at the cube as his mind thought back on the past.

"I hoped to find a way to go back and stop Aizen but this was all I could figure out. However…" He smiled my way. "Now that Aizen is sealed away, I no longer have a need for this so I'm giving it to you."

He held it out for me to take. I stared at it then tentatively reached out for it. It wasn't as heavy as I expected it to be and it easily rested in the palm of my hand.

"I can't guarantee its success." Kisuke warned me.

"What would happen if it fails?" Orihime asked worriedly.

"It'll suck out all her spiritual pressure and send her to an empty void…where she'll die."

I ignored Orihime's horrified gasp; I stared down at the device in my hand and thought about the one in a lifetime chance that was just offered to me. The thought of seeing him again and possibly saving him spurred me on and I easily disregarded the risks. However, I still had some questions.

"Why me?" I looked back up at Kisuke. "Why give it to me? There are others who have regrets of their own and would be willing to accept the risks to have some kind of closure." Kisuke shrugged.

"I'm sure there are but I feel you need it the most." There was a subtle compassion in his eyes that confused me but I didn't mention it.

"Are you actually going to do this?" Orihime asked me, grabbing hold of my arm.

I peered into her worried eyes and felt some guilt. I carefully placed the device on the table and placed my hand over hers. I gave a gentle squeeze but couldn't really bring myself to smile.

"I want this." I told her.

She pulled her hand away and hunched forward in her seat, hiding her face behind her bangs. Her boyfriend put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave me an encouraging nod.

 _At least he understands why I'm doing this._

I glanced Ichigo's way and saw that guilt in his eyes again.

"I know you still blame yourself, Ichigo." He looked my way, startled. "But I don't…nor do I blame Orihime." Ichigo glanced her way then met my eyes once more.

"If anyone is to blame, then it's me. I failed to protect him…I failed to protect the one I love." Ichigo went to protest but a look from Uryu made him stop.

"That's why I'm willing to sacrifice myself…not just for the chance to see him again but for the chance to save him." No one said anything so Kisuke stood up and made his way over to me.

"You can't be in a gigai." He told me with an apologetic look before thrusting the end of his cane against my forehead.

The gigai fell to the ground as I was pushed from it. I closed my eyes with a grimace as memories flashed in my mind with the return of my arrancar form. I subconsciously brought a hand up to cover the number tattooed onto my left shoulder. I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus on Kisuke once more.

He pulled something else from his sleeves and I recognized it as the bracelet Orihime had to wear when she said her goodbye before leaving for Hueco Mundo. There was a green gem embedded in it this time though.

"I modified the bracelet so that it will not only mask your spiritual pressure but also make it appear as if you are wearing a gigai while remaining invisible to others." Kisuke explained as I slipped the bracelet on.

I watched the gem glow as it took in some of my spiritual pressure. I brought my hand up to where my hollow hole was but felt only skin. I felt my forehead and found that my mask was gone too.

"To undo the effect of the bracelet you need only send a burst of spiritual pressure to it."

I tried it out and it worked just like he said. He showed me how to reset it then handed it over so I could slip it back on. He was giving me that compassionate look again but said nothing more.

Orihime stood up and quietly called my name. I turned her way and gently brushed her tears away. She cried even harder and threw herself into my arms. The old me probably would have cried along with her but my heart had changed after my beloved's death. However, I still cared for her so I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry on my shoulder while silently running my hand up and down her back.

"It will take a while for your spiritual pressure to return after you arrive." I looked up at Kisuke's words then nodded to show I understood. "I also suggest you go by another name; the name you have now is too much like the other espadas'."

I agreed; I also didn't want to be associated with that name any longer…it reminded me too much of my failure. I took a moment to think up a name to use.

"Akira…Akira Yukimura. I'll go by that name." I said with a slight smile.

"That's a good name; it suits you." Kisuke smiled.

"Will you know whether the device failed or not?" I didn't really want to bring up the potential failure again, especially since Orihime was still coming to terms but I needed to know.

Kisuke slowly shook his head. I gripped Orihime's shoulders and gently pushed her away. I waited till she was looking at me before speaking.

"You won't know whether I make it or not but I want you to assume that I do and that I'll succeed…I rather you forget me but I know you would refuse to but please do this for me. Don't regret that you couldn't change my mind and feel that you are responsible for any of this…that's all I ask."

I knew my words were making this even harder for her but she needed to hear them. The tears were still falling but she still nodded decisively. Reassured slightly, I released her and turned to face the device once more.

"You sure you want to leave now?" Uryu asked, stepping forward to gently lead Orihime away from me.

"Yes…I won't be able to focus on anything else if I waited."

"You better change your clothes then. I already prepared an outfit for you. You'll find it in the bathroom."

I gave Kisuke my thanks and went to change. I was relieved to see that the outfit was a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt. I was a bit startled to see Kisuke waiting for me just outside the bathroom door. There was a solemn look in his eyes.

"It's possible that Aizen will win in that timeline."

"I won't let him." He seemed surprised by how heatedly I said this. "I've never trusted him and only followed him because Ulquiorra did."

I didn't mention that deep down I also blamed Aizen for Ulquiorra's death; none of this would have happened if he never recruited us. "I might have to go against Ulquiorra but I refuse to let Aizen succeed."

"You'd really go against the man you love?"

"As long as he lives…it's impossible for me to really be with him anyway." It hurt to admit that but I knew it was true.

"I'm glad I'm sending a possible savior." I chuckled humorlessly at his choice of words.

"Savior? I'm no savior."

I walked past him and reentered the room where the others were still waiting. My gaze instantly landed on the device that was still on the table where I had left it. I bent over and picked it up once more. Thinking about what I was about to do, I felt I was holding Ulquiorra's very future in the palm of my hand.

I slowly brought my other hand up and gently placed it on top. I looked up at the others as I began filling it with my energy. Orihime still looked like she wanted to stop me but she was no longer crying. She leaned into Uryu's chest as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Kisuke tipped his hat and gave me an encouraging smile. Ichigo stared silently then gave a solemn nod.

 _Maybe he thinks I'll end up killing his counterpart._

Filled with my energy, the device began to glow a pale bluish color. I gripped it tightly and gave everyone a smile.

"Thank you for everything…goodbye."

My vision filled with white and I felt an intense pull on my very soul. It felt like I was traveling at a great speed yet my body wasn't moving. My hair and clothes whipped about for a bit then everything suddenly went still. I moved slightly and felt something tickling my arms and neck. I opened my eyes and looked up at the blue sky above me. I slowly sat up and looked around at the wooded area I ended up in.

"It looks like it worked but…where am I? How far back did I end up?"

I started walking around and realized that I was in the park in Karakura town. I froze when I felt a burst of familiar energy.

"Yammy? He's alive?"

Filled with hope, I made my way to where I sensed him then stopped right at the edge of the tree cover. My heart started pounding and my body shook with both happiness and sorrow when I saw who was standing not too far from him.

"It's him."

 **Author Note: I guess I should explain that the timeline my oc character just arrived in is actually the canon one so the events in it will follow the anime. However, we'll also get flashbacks about her timeline and her relationship with her Ulquiorra and Orihime.**

 **Ulquiorra is my favorite bleach character so I really hope to do him justice and hopefully not kill him off. WHY KUBO? WHY? :(**

 **I never expected the first chapter to be this long but there was a lot of explanation that was needed. The next probably won't be as long.**

 **Please Review.**


	2. Now What?

**Author Note: Sorry everyone for the really long delay, I had another story to finish and I just didn't feel up to working on this one but I'll try to get into the habit of putting up a chapter once a week.**

 **What I decided to do was have a bit of Akira's past in the beginning of every chapter so we can see what her relationship with Ulquiorra, Orihime and others was like and just how she changed that Ulquiorra.**

 **I used Ulquiorra's actual backstory from before he became an arrancar for this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo**

Chapter 2: Now What?

Past:

Beautiful…he was beautiful and so different from those around him.

My soul longed for this being and yearned to stay by this beautiful creature's side and protect him though I could never really explain why. He didn't need my protection though for he was strong…and elegant…and graceful…and deadly.

I followed him across the deserts of Hueco Mundo from a distance. I always wondered if he knew I was there but he never confronted me or tried to lose me so I never knew for sure if he did.

We traveled for years across the never changing scenery and we never stopped until one day…we came across something I had never seen before. It was a white tree with many branches extending out in all directions.

My beloved approached it and forced himself inside the many branches. I panicked initially when I could no longer see him but then relaxed when I felt how at peace his soul suddenly seemed.

I sat down in the sand and waited for him to come back out…but he never did; he wanted to stay there, enveloped in those white branches. The thought that I would never see him again saddened me but I accepted it.

 _This is what he wants,_ I told myself.

I never left though; I stayed right there and kept other hollows from disturbing him. I was happy to do this for I was not only able to stay by his side but protect him too. I was content to stay this way forever…but fate had another idea.

Present:

I stood there staring at him. I took in every familiar detail with bated breath…that dark, slightly messy hair, that pale skin, those green tear marks and those striking green eyes that had often held my attention in the past. I was afraid that he would suddenly disappear if I looked away or even moved. It felt like my heart was about to burst right out of my chest but then it plummeted when I looked into those cold eyes of his.

 _It's not him…he's not the Ulquiorra I know,_ I thought as I noticed there was no warmth in his eyes…none at all. He'd always had cold eyes but there had always been a subtle, slight hint of warmth in them but not with this man.

I knew that I wouldn't see my Ulquiorra again but actually seeing a different one really reminded me that he was gone forever. I wasn't completely disheartened though. He wasn't the man I knew but I wasn't completely unfamiliar with the one before me; he reminded me of how Ulquiorra was our first few months together in Las Noches.

I knew saving the man before me wouldn't necessarily be the same as saving the man I loved but I still intended to do so. I actually wouldn't have minded going to all the timelines and saving each Ulquiorra. However, that was impossible as Kisuke's device had disintegrated the moment I arrived…this was my one and only chance.

I was pulled from my thoughts at the sound of Yammy's booming laughter. I looked up just as he smacked the guy called Chad away, easily smashing his armored arm.

"Chad!" I tensed as Orihime ran forward to stand protectively in front of her friend, not caring at all that she was outmatched.

She brought up her shield as Yammy took a swing at her. She didn't move even though the shield shattered upon impact. She used her Shun Shun Rikka to heal Chad, catching Ulquiorra's interest as she did so.

"You're a strange human, woman." I winced at Ulquiorra's words, as I knew what this would ultimately lead to.

Orihime said nothing in response. The look of determination in those gray orbs told me what she was about to do and sure enough she sent Tsubaki out, hoping to at least injure Yammy but he easily crushed it as if it was just a harmless housefly.

"Hey Ulquiorra!" I winced at Yammy's unnecessarily loud voice.

 _Doesn't he know how to control the volume of his own voice,_ I wondered but I was somewhat used to it.

"Should we take her back to Lord Aizen since she has some unusual techniques?"

It seemed that some things hadn't changed; Yammy still consulted Ulquiorra before making any real decisions of his own.

"No. There's no need to. Kill her, Yammy."

I shuddered at how cold and unfeeling his voice was when he said those words. I wanted to step out and help her but there was nothing I could do with my current level of spiritual pressure and I also didn't want to draw attention to myself.

Yammy's face broke out into a sadistic smile as he went for Orihime. He froze just as he was about to stab his hand on the sword suddenly in the way of the girl. I felt myself relax slightly when I saw that Ichigo Kurosaki was finally there to save the day but my relief didn't last long; the boy's energy was so unstable that I wasn't sure if he could even fight properly.

He wasn't going to back down though and let his friends get killed. He went right into bankai, nearly blowing Orihime off her feet with his blast of spiritual pressure.

"Stand back, Orihime. I'll take care of them."

Ichigo never looked away from Yammy and Ulquiorra so he missed the hurt, disappointed look on Orihime's face. The girl ran back towards Chad and focused on healing him but still kept an eye on Ichigo. Yammy stared down at Ichigo while scratching his head, looking confused and unsure.

"Hey, Ulquiorra! Is he the guy?"

I barely held in my exasperated groan at Yammy's idiocy. He started another round of booming laughter when Ulquiorra confirmed that this was the soul reaper Aizen had told them about. He swung his arm back and threw a powerful punch but it was easily blocked by Ichigo's blade. Ichigo didn't even flinch even though the ground crumbled and cracked around his feet. Yammy's gleeful smirk quickly fell and he started to sweat a little.

"Are you the one who did that to Chad's arm?" Ichigo asked, his voice serious and threatening.

He slashed Yammy's arm off without waiting for an answer and ignored Yammy's yells of pain. I smiled slightly as Ulquiorra spoke up asking if he should take over, subtly insulting Yammy in a way I was familiar with. He then questioned Yammy when he went to use his zanpakuto.

The mention of a zanpakuto confused Ichigo and seemed to trigger something else as he suddenly hunched forward and gripped his face. He looked completely focused on something else and not at all on the battle. This gave Yammy an opportunity to kick him in the gut.

Ichigo was sent flying back, vomit and spit erupting from his mouth. I nearly cried out when I saw Orihime running to help but Ichigo did that for me. Orihime didn't listen though.

I could only grip the tree branch beside me and stare in horror as Orihime was violently smacked aside. She skipped across the ground a few times then laid on the ground motionlessly. Ichigo cried out for her but she didn't respond. Yammy proceeded to beat the crap out of Ichigo, laughing sadistically at his pain.

It hurt to watch but there really was nothing I could do. I was really starting to think that Ichigo was going to die. Yammy threw the boy to the ground then readied the final blow. I was about to run out and foolishly try and stop him but someone else arrived to save him. I didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed when I saw just who had arrived.

"Hello everyone! So sorry I'm late." Kisuke Urahara greeted cheerfully from behind a red shield of energy, which he used to block Yammy's attack.

Seeing Yoruichi Shihoin beside him was a big relief at least. Yammy seemed a little put off that they interrupted his kill but decided to focus on them instead. However, he was quickly flipped over Yoruichi's shoulder when he attacked. He kept going for her though but she easily dodged his strikes and delivered a few of her own, quickly downing him.

Ulquiorra watched everything impassively, making no move to help his fallen comrade. Yoruichi tended to Orihime while Kisuke checked on Ichigo. Yammy got up again while they were distracted and started forming a cero.

Knowing who was there, I wasn't worried. Kisuke quickly got in the way of the cero and negated it with his zanpakuto's abilities.

"W-what did you do to my cero?" Yammy asked, flabbergasted.

Kisuke egged him on by cheerfully explaining how he negated it. He used his zanpakuto to send another surge of red energy Yammy's way, which Yammy was unprepared for. However, Ulquiorra appeared and easily deflected it with his hand, shocking and surprising Kisuke and Yoruichi.

I couldn't help but swoon a little at such a display from him. I flinched though when he proceeded to cruelly strike Yammy in the stomach, sending the larger espada to his knees.

"You idiot. You're getting in over your head."

He explained to Yammy who the newcomers were and told him that he wouldn't be able to defeat them at his current level. Ulquiorra walked past him and opened a garganta. Yammy stepped through while Ulquiorra paused to make a few comments to Kisuke and the others. His gaze lingered on Ichigo as he turned to walk through but then he spotted me.

I froze and paled as his eyes narrowed in interest and suspicion. My heart was pounding in both worry and happiness at having his attention. He paused a second to examine me then continued through the garganta, which closed behind him.

 _Shit. Now Aizen's going to know about me,_ I thought, cursing at myself for letting myself be seen.

I turned my attention back to the others but found that they were already gone. I finally stepped out into the open and looked around at the battered scenery then in the direction I knew the others would have gone. I swept my bangs out of my face with a sigh.

 _What should I do now?_

 **Author Note: I don't really have much to say right now other than that it was really annoying writing the fight scene.**

 **Please Review.**


	3. Kidnapped

**Author Note: Normally I would apologize for taking so long to upload the next chapter but since there was no reviews for the last one and very little followers I didn't feel the urge to work on it. I might get back into it soon.**

 **Couldn't think of a good chapter title for this one. Would appreciate it if someone shares an idea with me.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo.**

Chapter 3: Kidnapped

Past:

Days passed by peacefully with only a couple of hollows trying to devour us. Normally it was easy for me to keep them at bay but one day there was a swarm of them and I found myself struggling to defeat them all.

I whirled around, slashing and stabbing at those closest to me, noting but disregarding the fact that I was quickly being surrounded. I froze momentarily when I felt a change in my beloved's spiritual pressure. Focusing on him, I sensed three other energies near him. Fueled by my anger and desire to protect him, I managed to dispose of those annoying hollows.

I made my way back to him as quickly as possible, ignoring my injuries that felt like mere scratches in the wake of my overwhelming emotions. The sight of him outside of his sanctuary on his hands and knees in front of three soul reapers made my insides burn with an uncontrollable rage.

I let out a mighty, animalistic roar as I jumped towards them, causing the branches and ground around us to tremble and shake slightly. I landed protectively in front of him. I towered slightly over the three soul reapers but they weren't at all intimidated.

I felt those captivating eyes staring at my back but I ignored them in order to focus on the threat before me. I stood there silently, sizing them up and waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

"My…what a fierce protector he has." One of them said with an unsettling smile that looked far too stretched to be genuine.

"It even looks like a knight." It was hard to tell whether he was genuinely amused or just insulting me.

"Indeed," another said, stoically with a hint of false friendliness. He was looking past me so I shifted slightly into his line of sight, trying to block his view of the one behind me.

"Should I dispose of it?" The last one asked, hand moving to his zanpakuto.

"No…it would be such a waste." The one with the stoic voice replied, whom I assumed was the leader. "My offer still stands." He said, addressing my charge.

I heard movement behind me as my fellow hollow stood up. He suddenly walked out from behind me and made his way towards the soul reaper. He spoke before I could step in front of him once more.

"I'll follow you." He said in a voice that made a different kind of heat erupt in me. I stood there, confused and concerned. The leader looked my way with barely concealed smugness.

"I'll offer you the same chance…join my army and fight for me."

I wanted to snarl and strike him down right there. I hated this soul reaper. I hated his arrogance, his subtle manipulation and his interference in our peace. I still accepted the offer though.

 _I'll follow him anywhere_ , I thought, staring at the beautiful creature I had sworn to protect. He stared back at me with puzzled, curious eyes.

The soul reapers started leading us in a certain direction. I desperately missed those easy, peaceful days the moment I took my first step to follow.

Present:

"You just had to go traveling to an alternate timeline without a definite plan didn't you?" I quietly ranted to myself.

The sun had gone done and I was still at a lost of what to do exactly. I had walked through the park and out onto the streets, contemplating my plan of action.

I could go to Kisuke and tell him about Orihime's upcoming kidnapping but there was no question that Ichigo's time in Hueco Mundo made him stronger.

There was very little chance that they would believe me anyway and I didn't want to subject myself to their suspicions and questions about how I knew about it. However, I also didn't want to just let Orihime get kidnapped.

I found myself outside Orihime's apartment as I thought about the days I had to stare into the girl's haunted, hollow gray eyes during her captivity in my timeline. I was often able to brighten those eyes but there was always a sad resignation in them that I couldn't banish.

I stood outside and stared up at the apartment windows, easily picturing Orihime cheerfully puttering about with a bright smile on her face. I scowled fiercely as that imagined smile turned into a dead, blank look that took many months of healing to completely banish. I swore that I would never let her go through that again. However, that still raised the question of what I should do next.

I turned away from the building and wandered back the way I came. I also had no place to stay so I decided to spend that night at the park then maybe I would go to the small shrine on the mountain side. People rarely go there unless there was a big festival so it was an ideal place to hide. I decided on the park for the night as I was honestly too tired to make the climb up to the shrine. Traveling from one timeline to another can really tire a person out.

I closed my eyes and let out a loud yawn as I made my way through the trees. I rubbed the small tears from the yawn from my eyes before opening them once more. I froze when I saw that not only did I end up back where the fight from earlier was but that I wasn't alone.

Ulquiorra was kneeling on one knee with a hand on the ground right where Orihime had used her shield. I recognized the look on his face as the one he got when he was analyzing something. I lost my chance to escape by standing there staring at him instead of turning to leave.

He lifted his head, locking eyes with me once more. That gaze held me in place even as he got up from his kneeled position and slowly walked my way. My breath caught in my chest when he stopped so close to me that I could reach out and touch him. He was the one reaching out though.

I watched with shuddering breaths as his hand came up towards my face. He noticed my reaction to his proximity but probably just assumed it was due to the now severe difference in our spiritual pressure. He never touched me though, despite being so close to doing so. It was scary how desperately I longed for his touch. Thankfully, I was too overwhelmed by the feelings that came with his proximity to make a real move towards him.

It wasn't until I sensed his spiritual pressure gathering at the palm he held an inch from my face that I realized that he was now analyzing me. He was judging my spiritual pressure, my worth and whether I was a threat to Aizen. That realization snapped me from my trance and I managed to step back away from him though I knew it was too late.

His eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion as he brought his hand back to his side. I didn't know whether I should be reassured or disappointed that there was no sign of recognition on his face. I jumped slightly as a garganta opened up behind him. He stared straight into my eyes as he spoke.

"Come with me, woman," was all he said but the threat and demand for obedience behind the words was clearly heard. I felt my face twist slightly into a wry smirk.

 _It seems I won't have to worry about warning anyone,_ I thought as I walked forward to step through the garganta.

I noticed the slight puzzlement on Ulquiorra's face as I passed him and knew that my reaction had confused him. He didn't speak any of his questions though but that didn't surprise me.

We arrived right in the middle of Aizen's throne room. My eyes were instantly drawn to the figure sitting arrogantly on the throne. I had to fight to keep the disgust, anger and hatred from my face as we silently stared at each other. I felt many eyes on me and knew that the other espada were there as well. Finally the silence was broken as Aizen spoke.

"Welcome to Las Noches."

 **Author Note: I really don't have anything witty or positive to say as I'm pretty disappointed with the lack of love for my story.**

 **Please Review.**


	4. An Unwanted Meeting

**Author Note: Still bothered by the lack of reviews but am willing to continue the story anyway.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to** **Tite Kubo.**

Chapter 4: An Unwanted Meeting

Past:

Las Noches was a strange and daunting sight to behold among the dunes of white sand and overall empty landscape of Hueco Mundo. There were so many corridors and passageways that I feared losing my beloved in the maze. We were led to a certain room and told to wait. We stood in silence but the silence was quickly broken by a loud voice.

"What a pain." A man with neon blue hair groaned as he entered the room.

Many others entered behind him. Their hollow masks and zanpakuto revealed that each of them was an arrancar, which I had heard several adjuchas talk about before. They all stared at us while the blue-haired one glared. They all turned and faced the door as our new "leader" returned with a strange object in his hand. The object was a shiny orb in a clear glass case.

He directed one of us to stand in the center of the room and explained what he was about to do. My protective instincts kicked in and I stepped forward to go first but my beloved charge was faster.

Aizen approached him with the orb, hogyoku, and pressed it against his head. I forced myself to stand nervously to the side and watch as my beloved was engulfed in light. The room was filled with the sound of bones crumbling and cracking. The light eventually faded and I was met with a shocking but still breathtaking sight.

My beloved's overall figure did not change at all, though his wings were now missing, and his skin was just as pale as before. Only half of his helmet remained though and the horn wasn't as long as it used to be. He now had shaggy black hair and green streaks that ran down from beneath his eyes to the edge of his face. His hollow hole remained in the same place and really stood out against such pale skin. A large cloak was quickly given to him so he could wrap it around his naked form.

"Tell me, new comrade…what is your name?" Aizen asked.

"Ulquiorra Schiffer." My now named beloved responded.

I couldn't help but think that the name suited him perfectly. Ulquiorra stood up on slightly unsteady legs and made way for me to take his place in the center of the room. I was still a little wary, as I had no idea how the transformation would feel but made no move to avoid the orb that Aizen pressed against my head.

The best way I could describe how it felt was that there was suddenly something seeping into the tiny space between my skin and bone armor and filling it. Suddenly all at once whatever was beneath my armor flexed upward and grew, causing my armor to crack and crumble off my form, leaving only a band of it across my forehead.

I felt so exposed without my armor and was surprisingly smaller physically. I wasn't standing yet but I could already tell that I was now shorter than several of the arrancars in the room when I was once taller than most of them. My body was also slimmer with what humans would call flattering curves and decent sized breasts. Long brown strands of hair fell into my eyes as I moved to cover myself with a different cloak.

I jumped slightly as the blue-haired arrancar suddenly yelled before Aizen could ask me my name.

"It's a chick?!"

I looked up into his shocked face but decided not to respond. Aizen ignored him and waited for me to introduce myself.

A name came to my mind that I knew I could easily accept as my own, though I also felt it was not my true name; I couldn't remember my true name though. My attempts at speech were unsteady at first as it was my first time speaking but I quickly gained confidence and managed to speak my name clearly and proudly in the end.

"Gloria Kavaliro."

Present:

There was a heavy silence as everyone waited for some kind of response from me. I felt glares from the espada after several minutes of what they probably saw as a disrespectful silence. Aizen continued to smile though and gave no indication that he was offended. He continued speaking as calmly and "politely" as before.

"You don't seem surprised or worried about where you are, Ms…." He paused, waiting for me to introduce myself.

"Akira Yukimura." I reluctantly supplied. He gave a false smile as he continued.

"Ms. Yukimura. I take it that means you know where you are and who I am."

"That's correct." I responded, my words laced with an icy indifference. The glares intensified.

"Might I ask how you do? I don't recall anyone like you being associated with the Soul Society and you don't appear to be one of Ichigo Kurosaki's friends either though your spiritual pressure is similar to one of them."

I resisted the urge to tense at that last comment. I had to really contain my panic as Aizen went on to explain what he meant regarding my spiritual pressure.

"You're spiritual pressure is human but also has faint trances of hollow as well."

 _It seems the bracelet didn't mask my spiritual pressure enough…I guess that's not that surprising that it didn't fool Aizen,_ I thought with a mental sigh.

His eyes bored into me as he waited for some kind of response. He gave a faint sigh when he got none.

"I would like an answer to my question if you don't mind." His voice was now slightly more insistent, though he still ventured to appear calm and unaffected. I realized it was pointless to drag it out any longer so I quickly wove a tale to tell him.

"Kisuke Urahara was the one that told me about the war between you and the Soul Society." Aizen leaned back in his throne with a look of interest.

"Interesting. Do you know why he would share such information with you when you have no place in the war?"

"No…he never told me his reasons." I replied, intentionally allowing some irritation to seep into my words. Aizen picked up on the irritation and gave a faint smirk.

"You don't seem to be particularly fond of Kisuke Urahara."

"I find him to be quite annoying and I don't like how he puts on such an innocent act when clearly he has some ulterior motives in involving me in this war." Aizen's smirk widened before he adopted an air of sympathy and regret.

"I'm sorry that you were pulled unnecessarily into this war and I regret to inform you that you'll have to remain here until the war is over." I narrowed my eyes at him though I was smirking triumphantly inside.

"I want no part in this war so why should I be kept imprisoned like I'm some sort of threat to you when we both know I'm clearly not?"

"I assure you I have my reasons. I promise you will be well looked after and treated respectfully." I kept my glare even as I "reluctantly" gave in.

"I leave her in your care Ulquiorra." Aizen suddenly said.

"Yes, Lord Aizen."

Ulquiorra stepped forward and gave a bow. Once again I was torn between two emotions: panic and joy. I was eager to spend time with this Ulquiorra but was also afraid that I might reveal something to him in a moment of weakness, which was more likely to happen with him than any of the other espada. I followed him out of the room nonetheless, glancing at the familiar faces of the other espada as I passed.

Ironically, I was led to the room in which Orihime spent her captivity. I stared up at the familiar moon through the bars of the window and felt a wave of peace at being "home" again. I knew I would now be spending a long time there but that was fine as I no longer needed to worry about traveling to Hueco Mundo in time to save Ulquiorra.

 _Now I just have to wait,_ I thought with a small smile.

 **Author Note: I gave Akira the name of Gloria Kavaliro. I tried to use the same languages used for the names of the espada and I came up with this. It translates to glorious knight. I also used the name Gloria in honor of a friend of mine.**

 **Aizen used his own hogyoku to make the arrancar though it is not as powerful as the original in Akira's timeline. I don't remember if that is what happened in canon or not.**

 **I don't really know exactly when Aizen managed to create the arrancars in canon but in Akira's timeline Aizen had the hogyoku for a long time before he made any real move against the soul society. Remember Akira's time is AU.**

 **I** **know that Ulquiorra's last name is now technically spelled Cifer but I prefer this spelling and it is the one I'm used to.**

 **Akira's hollow mask looks like a simple tiara band that rests across her forehead. If you don't know what that looks like type in "tiara band" in google images. What Akira has is slightly thicker though.**

 **I thought it somewhat amusing that Grimmjow thought Akira was male at first. She definitely didn't look female as a hollow though; she had the appearance of a tall, somewhat bulky suit of armor.**

 **Please Review**


	5. Orihime

**Author Note: Sorry I took so long to update another chapter but life was persistent in hindering my process. Hope I'll get some reviews this time now that the story has more followers.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo**

Chapter 5: Orihime

Past:

Things didn't change much after joining Aizen's army. There was nothing for us to really do yet as Aizen wanted to wait till he got the real hogyoku before declaring war on the Soul Society. It was only a matter of time though before he got bored and started to stir things up. Until that happened, I spent my days following Ulquiorra around just like I used to do in the desert.

This time there was no question that he was aware of my presence, as I was only a few steps behind him, but he still never said a word to me. It was clear to me that he would have preferred to be alone and I would have left him alone if he asked me to or at least sent a glare my way but he never did; no doubt that was Aizen's doing.

I decided to compromise as best as I could so I remained silent and didn't try to fill the air with meaningless chatter, which would most likely irritate him. I still wished to speak with him though but I resigned myself to just observing everything about him. The way he strode with his hands in his pockets and the way his tailcoats swished behind him with every step were things I never tired of seeing.

The one thing that really changed was that we now had to deal with constant hostility from a hollow I couldn't simply dispose of. Basically, Grimmjow, the sexta espada, despised Ulquiorra. He hated that he outranked him and didn't seem too fond of me either for the same reason. He always insulted and challenged him, which usually led to yelling arguments between him and me.

I really tried to stay as cool and composed as Ulquiorra but my blood always boiled with every insult directed my beloved's way. Ulquiorra could defend himself easily but he didn't even feel the need to do so; Grimmjow was nothing to him so his words didn't matter but I still felt the need to step forward and shut Grimmjow up.

Honestly, I felt that I could have gotten along with Grimmjow if he wasn't so hell bent on proving himself better than Ulquiorra. There were times I could have sworn he enjoyed our arguments as he'd always had this smirk on his face and he always stayed to argue with me instead of going after Ulquiorra, who tended to walk off without me during these moments.

However, there were times I caught Grimmjow glaring at Ulquiorra and me with such loathing that made me sweat at times. Thankfully, the confrontations with him never got physical; I often wondered why that was. He seemed to hate Ulquiorra enough to want to attack him but never did, which I was grateful for.

Present:

I did my best to be the perfect prisoner as I waited for Orihime to be brought to Hueco Mundo, which was going to be soon if the extra couch that was recently brought into the room was any indication. I never complained about my situation, always showed Ulquiorra respect, and always ate my meals when they were brought to me.

It was really mind-numbingly boring honestly. It was during those days that I desperately missed my violin, even though I had not been able to bring myself to play since Ulquiorra's death. Having it there would have at least given me something to focus on instead of my own thoughts and memories.

I gave a sigh and slumped further in my seat. I jumped up though as the door opened. I smiled, ready to greet Ulquiorra but froze when I saw who was with him. It had only been a little over a week ago that I had seen Orihime but this time it was different. Now it was up close and she was staring right at me instead of being unaware of my presence.

Clearly they hadn't told her about me yet as she looked surprised but also curious. Seeing her with bright eyes, without any sign of the torture and darkness that my Orihime had gone through overwhelmed me and I had to hold back tears. I cleared my throat to get rid of the lump there before speaking, doing my best to speak as if nothing was wrong.

"Hello, my name is Akira. What's your name?" If she could tell that my smile was slightly forced, she didn't comment on it.

"I'm Orihime Inoue. Nice to meet you."

My smile became genuine as her bright, cheery attitude washed over me. Ulquiorra silently watched the exchange before telling Orihime that she was to remain here with me.

He turned and left after that, not giving Orihime any time to ask questions. We fell into an awkward silence, unsure what to do or say. I forced myself to say something, no matter how forced it seemed.

"Well, I guess we're both stuck here." I winced at my own choice of words. They got Orihime to ask the question that had clearly been on her mind though.

"Why are you here?" She asked, slight wariness visible in her posture.

She was probably wondering whether Aizen put me here to torture her or just mess with her despite the fact I looked human to her. Honestly, I wouldn't put it past him to do such a thing. I'll admit I was proud of her for being cautious.

"I was kidnapped and brought here about a week ago." I told her, slowly sitting on my designated couch. I looked at the far wall instead of those gray eyes that still caused a stir in my chest as I continued speaking.

"Bastard didn't explain why."

She didn't ask me to elaborate further about who I was and I didn't ask her to either. All that mattered was that we were both prisoners for an, according to her, indefinite amount of time. No further words were said.

Orihime eventually moved to stand in the moonlight that was pouring through the lone window. She stood there, staring up at the moon. I couldn't see her face but the trembling of her shoulders told me she was holding back her sobs. I closed my eyes and sighed at the sight.

"Orihime."

I could feel her eyes on me but I kept my eyes closed so I couldn't see her distraught expression.

I patted the seat beside me, signaling for her to join me. She gingerly moved towards me and sat beside me. I promptly wrapped my arm around her shoulders and gently forced her to lay down with her head in my lap, a position she had once confessed to me her brother had used to comfort her when she was a child. She froze but my next words stopped her from moving.

"It's okay to cry...don't hold back."

She rolled over and buried her face into my stomach, sobbing uncontrollably. I slowly combed my fingers through her hair as she cried out all her fear, confusion and sorrow. Doing such a thing as holding her as she cried always made me feel needed, especially right then, as I was all she had.

We remained that way for a long time even after her tears subsided. I started humming a familiar tune that made her relax. I could see her exhaustion but she was reluctant to sleep in such an unfamiliar place, especially since this was the enemy's stronghold.

"Sleep…you'll need it. I won't let anything happen to you...I promise."

I smiled as she finally drifted off. I leaned back and stared at the moon, thinking about the tune I had used as a lullaby. It was the first tune that came to mind and it spilled out before I could stop it. I'll admit I was a bit ashamed to have used it for such a thing; it was never meant for her ears to hear, then again the one it was meant for was no longer around to hear it.

I sighed and decided to forget the incident for the time being. I looked back down at the slumbering girl on my lap and smiled fondly at the goofy look on her face.

"Well, at least the nights won't be so lonely now." I mumbled to myself, knowing I would not get much sleep that night.

I inwardly tensed when I felt a familiar presence outside the door but it was gone before I could even contemplate a reaction. I spent the rest of the night wondering how long he was there.

 **Author Note: We'll find out more about Akira and her violin and the tune she used as a lullably in later chapters.**

 **Please review.**


	6. Changes

**Author Note: I only got one review last chapter and I'll admit though it was a very nice review, I was hoping for more but then again maybe I haven't given you guys enough time to review. Oh well.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo**

Chapter 6: Changes

Past:

Ulquiorra was a reader. He could always be found in the library with a book in hand whenever Aizen had no missions for him. Naturally, I was found there as well. However, the seat he always occupied was the one in the corner that had no other chairs near it. I didn't want to alter his corner by bringing another chair over for myself so I sat on the floor and leaned back against the side of his armchair. It wasn't comfortable but being so close to him made up for any cricks in my neck or back.

I often found myself dozing off there during the many hours spent in the library. The reason for this was that I often had trouble sleeping during the night. I was so used to being so close to him during our days before joining Aizen that I needed to sense him nearby in order to really sleep. I didn't want to bother or inconvenience Ulquiorra by seeking him out during the night or mentioning my trouble so I endured the sleepless nights and got whatever hours I could in the library.

I was never worried that he would wander off without me while I slept, as I was positive he was told to stay with me by Aizen and I usually woke up the moment he rose from the chair. This arrangement went on for several years and then one day I woke up in a very interesting position that I knew I hadn't gone to sleep in.

I had gone to sleep leaning against the side of the chair as usual but woke up with my head and arms in Ulquiorra's lap. The position was undoubtedly more comfortable but it still made me tense, as I was not only invading his personal space but also touching him.

I glanced up without moving to look for any hints about how he felt about this. His eyes were still glued to the book in his hands but the slight rigidness of his posture revealed that he wasn't entirely comfortable with our position. However, he wasn't making any move to remove me even though he had to have noticed that I was awake. That little fact made the whole situation clear to me; he had moved me himself, hoping to make me more comfortable without putting much thought into it, and his stubbornness, which most were unaware of, made him endure the slight discomfort he felt.

I was shocked he cared enough about me to do such a thing but said nothing. I couldn't wipe the smile from my face though as I relaxed into my new position. The next day I was surprised and happy to see that there was a chair beside his for me to curl up in, which only he would have put there.

Ulquiorra started to slowly change after that day in the library. The changes seemed so small but they spoke volumes about our relationship. He started to wait a bit longer for me to follow before walking off when I was stuck in an argument with Grimmjow and even gave me a nod whenever I quietly greeted him in the morning or wished him good night. There was even a couple times when he walked me to my room before we separated for the night.

All these little things he did for me always made my heart soar, even more so when I started to see a slight warmth in his eyes when he looked at me. We eventually reached the point where we would hold conversations. It wasn't often and I did most of the talking but the fact that he even responded meant a lot to me. I didn't know it then but my feelings for him started to change along with him; they went beyond wanting to spend every moment with him and truly became what humans call love.

Present:

Orihime didn't mention the position we found ourselves in when she woke up though she was clearly embarrassed by it. I decided to spare her further embarrassment by not bringing it up; I didn't need her to say thank you in order to tell that she was grateful. She was a little disoriented by the fact that it was still night outside, which was something she was going to have to get used to since it was always night there.

Ulquiorra soon brought us food and also brought tailors to measure us for outfits much like the arrancars wore. He stayed to make sure Orihime ate every bite and that there was no trouble with the tailors. Orihime was resistant towards eating at first but I managed to convince her before Ulquiorra could threaten her in anyway.

Orihime was led away by Ulquiorra to speak with Aizen after the tailors were done. I was left alone to contemplate how things were going with her.

"Woman." I was surprised to suddenly see Ulquiorra staring at me from the doorway.

"Yes?" I replied, curious about what he could want from me.

I frowned though as he seemed to hesitate with a slight look of uncertainty that only I could really notice. He got over his hesitation quickly though and started walking towards me. I could feel my heart start beating faster in my chest but tried to not show any reaction.

"What was that tune?" His abrupt, vague question completely threw me off.

"You mean the one I hummed last night?" He glared, silently urging me to answer.

I was completely swamped by my own questions though. Did he somehow understand the significance of it? Did it get some sort of response from him? Was that even possible? If it was, how would I explain it?

"It was a song I had composed for someone very dear to me." I finally explained, resisting the urge to give him a pointed look.

My answer didn't seem to ease his concerns; in fact it seemed to trouble him further. He seemed at a loss of what to ask next though. I knew I was pushing it but I still opened my mouth.

"You seem troubled by something. Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked, genuinely worried.

My sincere offer to help clearly caught him off guard but his shock at being read so easily by me and his refusal to admit something was wrong had him storming out of the room without a response.

I winced at his reaction then sighed. I regretted my words more so when Orihime was later escorted back to the room by another arrancar instead of Ulquiorra. Clearly, I had struck a chord in him and that scared him off.

He did return when the outfits we were meant to wear were brought to us, though he naturally didn't bring up our conversation. I didn't know whether to cry or laugh when I saw my new clothes; they were exactly like the ones I wore when I was an espada.

Orihime had asked if I was okay when she saw the slightly pained look on my face but I waved her concern off without explaining.

I put on the white hakama pants, noting but ignoring Ulquiorra's presence, and long-sleeved, form fitting top that left my shoulders and collarbone bare. The sleeves, unlike the form-fitting top, flowed down freely around my arms but thankfully didn't fall too far past my waist. The end openings of the sleeves weren't tight around my wrist, which allowed for a lot of arm movement, and the sleeves themselves started about mid-upper arm. I had to stop myself from checking for my zanpakuto and hollow hole; the situation was suddenly so similar to my past that I was a bit lost in the moment.

"That outfit suits you."

I had heard Ulquiorra say that to Orihime in my timeline so it took me a moment to realize he was in fact speaking to me. I politely thanked him, ignoring how warm my face suddenly felt.

I stared into his eyes, wondering what was going through his mind right then. He held my gaze for a moment then looked away a little too quickly for him. Now I was even more eager to know what he was thinking but knew I couldn't just ask; that certainly didn't go very well earlier.

He left soon after that, leaving Orihime and me alone. I could finally ask Orihime what had shaken her up so much. She had tried to hide it but I could clearly see that Aizen had said or done something to her. I carefully gripped her shoulders to get her to look me in the eye.

"What's wrong?" I asked, completely serious.

She was quiet for a moment, clearly unsure whether she should reveal what had happened. I'll admit it hurt a bit that she didn't trust me but then I reminded myself that she didn't really know me quite yet.

"Aizen showed me the hogyoku." She eventually admitted.

I released her, shocked. I didn't expect Aizen to do such a thing. What purpose would that serve?

"He said he trusted me." Orihime continued as she if could hear my thoughts. Trusted her? Does he honestly think she'd fall for such an obvious ruse?

"I have to destroy it." Her sudden words broke me out of my thoughts. I looked into her suddenly determined eyes. "I have to reverse the hogyoku's existence." I couldn't contain my sigh. If only it were that easy.

"You'll never get the chance to try." I told her as I made my way over to the couch. I slumped down onto it as I waited for her protests and attempts at persuading me.

"I've got to do something." She insisted and I agreed that she had to do something instead of just wait around to be rescued.

"You don't want to be useless." I bluntly asked. She shook her head with a sad face.

"Unfortunately, there's not much you can do, as you can't train with your powers here." I knew my words weren't very reassuring to her but I didn't stop there.

"That doesn't mean you are useless though." I said, prompting her to look up at me instead of at the ground.

"It's that attitude of yours that's really holding you back." I informed her, steeling my words so she'll know how serious I was.

"If you see yourself as useless and think there is nothing you can do to change that then, yeah, you'll never change but determination and effort will help immensely in your attempt to be useful. True you will eventually reach a limit but, until then, keep working at it." The look of slight awe and respect in her eyes told me that my words had the desired effect.

"You're right. I shouldn't give up so easily." She spoke confidently, standing straight with her fists out in front of her as if she was about to brawl.

"There you go." I muttered quietly, smiling proudly.

I watched as she started to talk excitedly about how she was going to train herself once she got out of there. She didn't even seem to notice that she now believed she was going to get out of here whereas before she thought her situation was entirely hopeless.

A sudden burst of spiritual pressure far out in the desert of Hueco Mundo silenced her rant and rocked the palace; no doubt everyone had sensed it.

 **Author Note: I want to emphasize that the Ulquiorra from Akira's timeline is slightly different than the one in the canon universe. He is more likely to treat Akira kindly like in the past section of the chapter but even then it took years for him to get to that point and it is all due to Akira's presence in his life and her kindness towards him.**

 **Now we know that Akira had composed that song for Ulquiorra.**

 **Please Review.**


	7. Acts of Comfort

**Author Note: I don't think I've ever uploaded so many chapters in one week. I'm proud of myself for that.**

 **It's a shame I'm not getting any reviews though, at least I'm having fun writing this story.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo**

Chapter 7: Acts of Comfort

Past:

Despite the changes in our relationship, there were still times I doubted whether he really cared about me or whether it was just wishful thinking. One time in particular was when Nnoitra confronted me.

I had just been in an argument with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had already walked off without me several minutes ago so I was alone. That was when he suddenly appeared in front of me, blocking my path with his long, lanky form and bulky weapon.

"Well, well. Looks like the little puppy is alone." I scowled at his comparing me to a puppy, no doubt because of the human phrase "following like a lost puppy."

"What is it, Nnoitra?" I asked tensely, already sick of his presence. "I'm in a hurry." I said, trying to scoot around him but he slammed his hand against the other wall, completely halting my progress.

"Oh are you?" He sounded amused. "Eager to get back to being Ulquiorra's bitch?" I glared but didn't take the bait, though I wanted desperately to knock that stupid grin off his face.

"I must say I feel sorry for Ulquiorra…always having to put up with you tagging along behind him, never giving him a moment's peace." His smirk grew, as if he could see that I was at my limit.

"I don't know how he can stand it, especially someone as solitary as him. It must be so irritating to have to pretend to tolerate you when all he really wants to do is run as far from you as possible." That last sentence struck a chord in me and doubt filled my mind.

Nnoitra was right about Ulquiorra preferring to be by himself. My presence must be a constant annoyance to him but he was forced to treat me as if he didn't mind or that he even wanted me there because Aizen ordered him to. My belittling thoughts consumed me, so much so that I didn't respond to Nnoitra's next words.

"I should probably do him the favor of getting rid of you myself." He raised his weapon but I couldn't find the will to move or block.

"What is going on here?"

Nnoitra froze and I tensed as Ulquiorra was suddenly behind Nnoitra. He stood there calmly, taking in the situation with cold eyes that shone with slight anger.

"I was just about to relieve you of this pest." There was a hint of fear in Nnoitra's voice even as he justified himself.

"Did I ask you to do such a thing? Such actions are unnecessary." Ulquiorra's words slowly brought my spirit back and filled me with warmth as he subtly spoke up in my defense.

"You would do well to remember that she is of higher rank than you for a reason." He warned, despite the fact that I had not been about to fight back.

It was the closest thing to a compliment that I had ever heard from him and it completely blew me away. Nnoitra didn't move or say anything, though he did glare, so Ulquiorra deemed the matter settled.

"Come woman." Ulquiorra called to me, turning to continue the way he walked earlier. I eagerly followed with a smile and a carefree heart.

Present:

"Ichigo?" Orihime whispered to herself in disbelief, staring out the window as if she could actually see him from there.

"It seems your friends are here to rescue you." I said, feeling a little sad and overwhelmed by the reminder that I had very little time left.

"I'm sure your friends aren't too far behind them." She reassured me, thinking that was the reason for my upset. I chuckled humorlessly with a slight grimace.

"No one's coming to save me." I felt a bit depressed about that fact despite the fact I didn't need saving and it was impossible for anyone from my timeline to follow me here.

"The two people who might have tried to are gone." I confessed unintentionally.

Orihime opened her mouth as if to say something but eventually closed it when no words came out. I couldn't handle the sad look she was giving me so I turned my head away.

"You should go back with us." She suggested awkwardly, hoping to cheer me up somewhat. "The others won't mind at all." I turned my gaze back to her as I listened to her awkward and slightly forced reassurances.

I knew her well enough to tell that she was offering such a thing because she felt obligated at that point though she did care for my wellbeing to some degree; she always had such a big heart even when it came to those she barely knew. However, I could barely be called her friend at that point though that would no doubt change the longer we were together; my comforting her before certainly helped with that. We would never be as close as we were in my timeline though.

"Ichigo will look after you and make sure you get back safely." She rambled on.

"He would protect a mere stranger?" I asked, gently cutting her off though I knew the answer.

"Of course he would. That's just how Ichigo is." She responded enthusiastically with a slight blush and an adoring look.

"He sounds like a really good person."

"He's an amazing person." She emphasized passionately. I couldn't help my next words.

"You love him." She went as red as a tomato and attempted to hide her face with her hands.

"W-what makes you say that?" She sputtered, making me chuckle quietly.

"There's no need to embarrassed with me." I told her with a smile. "I won't tease you for it." She relaxed.

"Have you ever been in love?"

She flinched as soon as the words left her mouth and she covered her mouth in horror and shame, clearly thinking back to what I had mentioned about the two people that had cared about me. I didn't blame her for her mistake but I still grimaced at the painful, unintentional reminder of Ulquiorra's death.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I'm so sorry." She apologized profusely, nearly in tears.

"It's okay…I know you didn't mean to bring up any bad memories." To prove that I didn't hold a grudge, I answered her question. "I did love someone but he never returned my feelings…at least I don't think he did. He died before I could really know for sure."

My answer just made her feel even guiltier so I decided to shift the topic to something I knew would cheer her up.

"Tell me more about this Ichigo."

It worked. She proceeded to happily talk about Ichigo for a long while and I listened to every word, relishing in her happiness and energy. She was interrupted when Ulquiorra arrived with a servant arrancar that carried the tray with our dinner.

He watched us eat then sent the arrancar away with the plates but didn't leave himself. The serious look in his eyes told me he was going to talk about the sudden arrival of Ichigo and the others. He turned his piercing stare on Orihime, taking in her suddenly nervous expression.

"I see you are already aware of Ichigo Kurosaki entering Hueco Mundo." Orihime looked down, unable to look him in the eyes as his voice took a cold turn. "Don't delude yourself. He will not succeed. He will fall before he can even reach you."

Orihime seemed to fall into herself at his words; the hope in her eyes dimmed, her shoulders slumped and her sudden energy evaporated. I hated to see that so, without thinking, I stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She glanced my way and I flashed her a smile.

"Don't worry, Orihime. If Ichigo is as amazing as you say he is, he'll find a way to succeed."

My words reassured her a bit but she seemed hesitant to believe me with Ulquiorra right there. Ulquiorra obviously didn't approve of my words if the glare he gave me was any indication. I was unfazed though.

I glared right back for his treatment of Orihime and he was the one to back off, no doubt from surprise rather than fear; he must not have expected a nearly powerless "human" to have the courage to glare back at him like that, especially since I have been nothing but respectable towards him until that point.

I wasn't going to forgive anyone hurting Orihime though, whether physically or emotionally, and he was no exception. I would have spoken up even if he were my Ulquiorra; I would never turn a blind eye to his wrongdoings. He dismissed my glare and continued to harass Orihime.

"Even if he were to succeed in reaching you. It would hold little meaning, for you are one of us now." Orihime met his eyes, startled by his words. "The fact you wear those clothes proves that." His gaze bored into hers as he said his next words.

"You belong to Lord Aizen, in both body and mind."

His intense gaze was daring her to say otherwise but it was clear that Orihime had already caved in at that point for she remained silent. He eventually glanced my way to see if his words were having the same effect but was once again caught off guard when he saw that they had just angered me further.

As ridiculous as it sounds, I took a threatening step forward and asked him to leave, as if I could really intimidate him with my current level of spiritual pressure. Surprisingly, he did just that but not before looking me over with calculating eyes; it seemed I had piqued his interest.

I ignored that though for the time being as I focused on comforting Orihime but not even the mention of Ichigo could get her to so much as lift her head.

 **Author Note: I had a hard time coming up with a chapter title. I eventually came up with "Acts of Comfort," which refers to Akira comforting Orihime but also to Ulquiorra comforting Akira in his own way in the past section.**

 **Please review.**


	8. Whirlwind

**Author Note: Wow here's another one. I'll admit I had mixed feelings about the present section of this chapter at first but I love how it eventually turned out.**

 **I'd like to thank Krystalana for the beautiful review. Thank you, I could really feel the love.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo**

Chapter 8: Whirlwind

Past:

I don't know where the sudden urge to visit the human world came from but I found myself giving into it despite Aizen's wishes that we remain undetected by the soul society.

An opportunity to travel there presented itself when Ulquiorra was summoned to a meeting with Aizen. I wasted no time and quickly made a garganta. Exiting it, I took my first real step into the human world as an arrancar.

I slowly walked down the busy streets, staring into shop windows and just observing everything around me. All the hustle and bustle of the town was a sharp contrast to the quiet stillness of Hueco Mundo but I rather liked it; it was a shame I couldn't stay longer.

I paused when something in a store window caught my eye. It was a beautiful piece of wood carved into what I recognized to be an instrument. The curves were elegant and the wood itself was a beautiful, reddish brown. It looked old yet well tended to. There were many other beautiful instruments in the store window but this one held my full attention. The sight and even the weight and feel of it seemed so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. Either way I knew I had to have it.

I'll admit that that was the only time in my life that I ever stole something. I had no real choice honestly. I needed to have that instrument but not only did I not have any money but the person behind the counter couldn't even see me. I slipped out of the store with it, pausing only long enough to glance at the small sign to see what the instrument was called. I held the "violin" close to my chest as I quickly made my way back before Ulquiorra could start getting suspicious about where I was.

I managed to hide the violin in my room right as Ulquiorra was done with meeting Aizen. I spent the rest of the day like any other, though my mind was on my new trinket.

I wanted to keep my journey to the human world a secret for as long as possible since I would be punished for it by Aizen, which meant I had to also keep the violin a secret. I didn't risk playing it inside my room or the lounge. I waited till most, if not everyone, was asleep and made my way out into the desert beneath the dome.

I cradled the violin and just stared at it for a while before making any move to play it. I tried several ways of holding it before finding a comfortable position, which I found out later was the proper way. I won't deny that the sound I made the first time I ran the bow across the strings was one of the worst things I had ever heard. I had no idea how to really play and no one to teach me so I really just had to experiment and see what sounds I could create.

It took decades for me to "master" the violin and even then I could only play by ear, as I couldn't read music. Honestly, I was surprised how long it took for someone to discover my nightly activity. I'll never forget the expression on Ulquiorra's face the first time he came across me playing.

I hadn't noticed he was there at first, as I was too absorbed in my music but I froze the moment I sensed him. I stared at him with the violin still tucked under my chin and the bow still positioned on the strings, taking in the foreign expression that I almost couldn't recognize. The best way I can describe it is a subdued look of wonder and surprise. I slowly lowered the bow after several seconds of staring but stopped when he spoke.

"No."

He took a small step forward and raised his hand slightly as if he was about to reach out to me. His voice had sounded so different to me, almost vulnerable and even he seemed startled by his reaction as he tensed and quickly composed himself. The look in his eyes faded and his voice returned to its normal monotone but his next words revealed more than enough.

"Don't stop."

I was silent and still as his words slowly registered in my mind. When they did, my face broke out into a huge smile and I gladly brought the bow back up.

I don't know how long we stood there as I continued to string notes together to create a happy but peaceful tune. I do know though that that night will forever be one of my fondest memories.

Present:

Orihime and I were able to sense the moment Ichigo actually entered Las Noches and could sense his fights. I was forced to watch Orihime's roller coaster of emotions, which went from worry, regret, relief, and adoration and cycled again and again. It was rather annoying actually but I didn't mention it, as it was natural that she would worry about him. I also monitored the battle of the others since I was worried about how they were doing, more for Orihime's sake than any actual concern for them on my part.

The battles went the same way they did in my timeline; Ichigo's friends won their battles against the privaron espada but not without their struggles. However, I knew that that would change when they were faced with the current espada.

Chad had the misfortune of running into Nnoitra, who wasted no time in cutting him down. Orihime was nearly in tears when she felt his depleting spiritual pressure but hadn't given up hope that he'd make it quite yet.

It was admirable how strong she was being and I told her as such. She blushed at the comment but didn't refute it like I had expected her to; it seemed her self-esteem was improving. Ulquiorra's sudden visit put me on guard because of last time and turns out I had every right to be worried.

"Yasutora Sado is dead." He informed with no concern for how such words would hurt Orihime, or maybe he said them with that intention in mind.

My pride in Orihime grew when she turned to him and simply said that Chad wasn't dead yet. This annoyed Ulquiorra though, which, as I've come to see with this Ulquiorra, tended to make him say rather cruel things. He proved me right.

"Why do you care so much whether or not he's alive? Before long, all of your friends will be dead anyway. What does it matter if one was killed a bit sooner than planned? They should have realized this would happen from the start. And if they didn't, they were fools. I would be angry at their stupidity of entering Hueco Mundo without first considering the limits of their strength."

It was the most I had heard him speak but I barely noticed that due to the horror and shock I felt at just how cruel his words were. I reminded myself that this Ulquiorra had never been exposed to any sort of compassion but that still didn't excuse what he had just said.

It wasn't long before anger set in; anger at the cruelty towards Orihime but also a bit towards the unintended cruelty my way. He didn't realize it but I had done the exact same thing Ichigo and the others were doing but for Ulquiorra's sake. I found myself reacting before Orihime could. I ran forward and punched him, barely remembering to hold back my strength. I ignored Orihime's gasp and proceeded to yell at him.

"SHUT UP! You have no right to say such things when you have no idea what it's like to watch those you care about fight and die for your sake. You have no idea what Orihime is going through so don't tell her how she should feel towards her friends. Don't belittle their friendship and her love towards them."

I expected him to be furious with me for my words and my punching him but he seemed to have been struck speechless. His head remained turned to the side from my punch and he looked a bit dazed, which made me think that my words had gotten through to him but I guess I was hoping for too much for he glanced my way then simply turned and left without apologizing.

I sensed him pause outside the door but I was too absorbed in my whirlwind of emotions to care.

"Are you okay?" Orihime asked worriedly when she saw the couple of tears that fell down my face.

I laughed, no doubt looking a little demented with the tears in my eyes and the crooked smile on my face.

"It's strange. I should still be furious with him but…instead I feel sorry for him. He doesn't know what it is like to have someone care for him."

My tears fell harder as the thought of what his time alone in Hueco Mundo must have been like tore at my heart.

"That's not right...he shouldn't have to be so alone."

Composure and secrecy were completely forgotten at that point and I fell to my knees, crying at the injustice Ulquiorra had suffered alone.

 **Author Note:** **Akira's words and actions towards Ulquiorra are slowly changing him, even more so after that breakdown he unintentionally heard while on the other side of the door. We'll soon see some of those changes in his actions towards her.**

 **I've had the violin part written for so long and couldn't wait to upload it. Her playing the violin captivated Ulquiorra and really drew him towards her even further.**

 **In case you were wondering the chapter title refers to the whirlwind of emotions Akira went through at the end of the chapter.**

 **Please Review.**


	9. Please

**Author Note: Here's another chapter. A bit shorter than the previous ones but I rather liked this one. More emotional stuff.**

 **Wanna say thanks again to sweetpotatopumpkin and Wanderstar for their lovely reviews last chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo**

Chapter 9: Please

Past:

I didn't really know what the others and I were waiting for. I knew that Ulquiorra had left with some of the other espada on a mission but didn't know what for or why we had to stand around in the throne room until they returned. Aizen never really trusted me enough to include me in his meetings with the espada unless it was absolutely necessary as he knew my loyalty was not for him, which honestly I was just fine with; the less I see of that man the better.

I sighed for what felt like the one-hundredth time; once again ignoring the irritated look Lilynette gave me at the sound. Ulquiorra's return instantly lifted my mood. I immediately ran forward to welcome him back with a big smile. I didn't miss the slight, telltale shift in his eyes that showed that deep down he appreciated the greeting and was pleased to see me.

I hadn't noticed the human behind him at first until I felt her eyes on me. I stared back at her, curious about why she was there. It took me a moment to recognize her as one of Ichigo Kurosaki's friends. Once I recognized that, it was easy to figure out why she was there. I couldn't keep the sad, regretful look off my face as I continued to stare at her. We both looked Aizen's way when he spoke.

"Orihime Inoue, welcome to Las Noches."

I blocked out Aizen's next words and took the time to observe the girl, Orihime; I didn't need to listen to know she would be staying with us for a long time. There was a sad resignation about her that was rather pitiful and tragic but there was also strength in her eyes that showed that she wasn't going to let her situation get the better of her. I found that rather intriguing but also admirable.

I followed when Ulquiorra led her from the room. He brought her to the room she would be staying in. I looked around the room just as Orihime did and found that it was a little depressing but that might have just been the overall mood. Ulquiorra informed Orihime that he would be returning later with food. Orihime didn't respond but did acknowledge his words.

Ulquiorra turned and strode through the doorway. He paused just outside and looked back, clearly waiting for me to follow but I just couldn't get myself to move. I stood there and took in the sad sight of our new "guest." Something in my heart told me not to leave her just yet. I finally returned Ulquiorra's gaze and gave a sad smile.

"I think I'll stay here for a bit."

His eyes widened a bit in surprise, which was understandable as I was opting to stay with a stranger instead of following him like I've done for decades. He composed himself and silently stared at me for a moment.

"Very well. You know where to find me when you're done."

I gave him a warm, grateful smile and turned back to Orihime. The girl had been watching the exchange between Ulquiorra and me with confused yet curious eyes. She clearly hadn't expected me to stay with her and had no idea what to expect from me.

I gave her the best reassuring smile I could give, hoping to put her at ease, which seemed to work to some degree. I moved to sit down on the sofa but stopped when she tensed slightly.

"Don't worry…I just want to talk." I moved forward and sat down when she relaxed a fraction.

"I guess I should introduce myself…I'm Gloria. I hope you and I can be friends."

Present:

Orihime was totally lost on how to comfort me properly as she didn't know me like I knew her but thankfully it wasn't long before my tears dried out. There was still an emptiness in my chest that showed that I was emotionally drained and not quite back to normal yet.

It was right at that moment that Rukia Kuchiki managed to kill Aaroniero. However, she was severely injured and would die if no one came to her aid. This had Orihime breaking out into tears. I pushed my emptiness and exhaustion to the side and slowly got up.

I was a bit unsteady on my feet but still managed to reach her and wrap my arms around her. I just held her, as I couldn't bring myself to think up any words of comfort. Her reaction to this wasn't what I expected it to be.

"Why?"

I pulled back slightly so I could look her in the face.

"Why are you comforting me when you clearly still need to be comforted yourself? Why do you always comfort and stand up for me without hesitation? I don't understand...Why?"

It was a strange thing to question at that moment, as she was still distraught about Rukia's condition, but she was also very confused and since there was nothing she could do for Rukia, she decided to focus on what she could address…me.

I didn't really want to explain this to her yet but I was so drained that I didn't feel like working around it.

"I've failed those important to me…" I started, gaining her full attention. "I don't ever want to be too late to protect my loved ones again, whether it be emotionally, physically or mentally." I gazed unwaveringly into her eyes as I said my next words.

"Right now, you are the closest thing I have to a friend." She clearly hadn't been expecting that but I continued on before she could respond.

"I know it is a bit unusual but please let me continue looking after you." I tried to keep the pleading in my voice to a bare minimum but she clearly still heard it but thankfully didn't point it out.

She silently stared at me, unsure how to respond. Eventually she spoke.

"Okay…but please…don't put yourself in danger to protect me." I relaxed and gave her a small smile. Her next words warmed my heart. "You're my friend…I don't want you to get hurt either."

"I won't." I promised but I knew that I would go against that promise in a heartbeat if she were in danger. "Now I need you to promise me something."

"What?" She asked with her head tilted to the side a bit in curiosity.

"There's a chance that Aizen will eventually separate us to lower your spirits further but promise me you won't let it. Everything will be fine…your friends are here to rescue you and I'll be fine on my own until you can come for me."

The thought of being separated obviously made her nervous but she still promised me that she would not dwell on it when the time came, if it ever did.

I released her then so I could throw myself down onto the couch. There was no time to really relax though as a surge in Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure had me jumping back to my feet. It seemed that he was confronting Ichigo. I started to panic, wondering if in this timeline this was the fight that could cost Ulquiorra his life but I relaxed as the fight went on and Ulquiorra hadn't gone into either of his resurrección forms.

Ichigo was really getting his ass beat by Ulquiorra, which naturally was upsetting Orihime but I decided to focus on the fight instead of her for once. I noticed right away that something was up with Ulquiorra; he almost seemed to be going easy on Ichigo though I couldn't fathom why. This was really apparent at the end of the fight.

Ichigo was weakened but not severally injured and it was the perfect opportunity to deliver the final blow and yet…Ulquiorra didn't. He left Ichigo with enough strength to get up and leave. It wasn't like I wanted him to kill Ichigo but it was so uncharacteristic of this Ulquiorra that it made me wonder why he would spare him.

Was something wrong?

Never thought I would think an act of mercy to be a sign of something being wrong but there was no doubt that it was strange. Orihime was relieved though so I dismissed it.

There was a lull in the fighting for a bit that provided us with a little time to relax, not that Orihime relaxed much as she was worrying about Rukia, but that didn't last long as the door opened. I knew even before it opened that the person on the other side was not Ulquiorra.

 **Author Note: So this time Ulquiorra didn't do that last blow where he pierces through Ichigo near his collarbone. Why? Let's just say that Akira's words to him are really changing him like I said last chapter.**

 **I didn't mention this in the past section of the chapter but Aizen has the real hogyoku at that point just like in canon.**

 **Please Review.**


	10. Love

**Author Note: Here's the next one.**

 **Thanks again to all those who have reviewed lately. You guys are awesome XD**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo.**

Chapter 10: Love

Past:

I spent a lot of time with Orihime since the day she was brought to Hueco Mundo. I'll admit it was a bit strange to suddenly be spending time with someone beside Ulquiorra. However, I felt that Orihime needed someone to be there with her and I took it upon myself to do just that.

I was the only one Orihime could really talk to so it wasn't that surprising that we did indeed become friends. She told me about many things: her friends, the human world, her time in the soul society and much more. I learned a lot about her and came to like her quirkiness and found it amusing when she would go off on a tangent about trivial things in the middle of a conversation and ramble about whatever it was for a bit.

One topic that seemed to always come up was Ichigo Kurosaki. I eventually pointed that out and found out why he was often in her thoughts.

"Oh Ichigo." Orihime was sighing again as she stared out the window. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed that I was there.

"You certainly think about him a lot." She jumped and spun around with a red face.

"What? When did you…?"

I smiled at her flustered reaction. Still blushing, Orihime plopped down on the sofa beside me. She silently played with the ends of her hair for a bit.

"I love him." I almost hadn't expected her to respond to my earlier inquiry but I immediately latched onto her words.

"Love?"

That one word seemed so meaningful yet I had never really heard the word before. I felt an unexplainable need to understand it though.

"What does that mean?"

Orihime looked so shocked by that question then a look of contemplation took over her features.

"Love is really hard to explain. It can mean so many different things and can vary from person to person. For me, it is about caring for others to such an extent that their happiness and safety can mean more to me than my own. Knowing they are alive and happy makes me happy. It's the reason I'm here; my friends were in danger and I was told they would be spared if I left…so I did."

I took in every word and suddenly things became clearer to me.

"There are different types of love. There's love between family members and love between friends. There is also romantic love." She seemed to have been sucked up into her own explanation as she had a faraway look in her eyes.

"Romantic?" I repeated questioningly, focusing on the most vague one.

"Romantic love is when someone wants to spend the rest of their life with another person. Just like with other types love they want to bring that person happiness and keep them safe. They want to be the cause of each smile and laugh and be able to comfort and help that person in their time of need. The thought that the other person could be happier spending time with someone else hurts…but sometimes the only thing you can do is accept that and support them."

There was a pain in her voice that showed that she was speaking from experience. I contemplated what she told me and my thoughts immediately went to my feelings towards Ulquiorra. Everything seemed to fit.

I wanted him to be happy and safe but not just that...I wanted him to be happy with me. I wanted him to enjoy the time we spend together and miss me like I miss him when we are apart. It seemed I finally had a name to give such feelings.

"Love…so that's what this is." I mumbled aloud to myself with a content smile. Orihime was now staring at me with a startled look.

"You mean you…?" She trailed off with a look of shocked comprehension.

"Yes…I love Ulquiorra." Saying those words brought a bright smile to my face. She didn't return my smile though; she looked uncertain and worried.

"Why? He's so…" She trailed off, worried that she had insulted him and therefore angered me and normally that would have been the case.

"Why?" I repeated, pausing to think but no real explanation came to mind. "I don't know…I just do. I was always drawn to him. It was just instinct really."

"Instinct?" It seemed it was my turn to explain something to her.

"As arrancars we are closer to soul reapers than hollows but we all were once instinctual beings. There are certain instincts we still follow even as arrancars. For Grimmjow, it is to prove himself the strongest in order to be the alpha male, for Ulquiorra it is to follow the one he sees as the alpha male, which is Aizen," I grumbled out that foul name before continuing.

"And for me…it's protecting the one I see as my…I guess you could say mate." I brought a hand up over my chest as I spoke, passion and love seeping into my words. "I can feel in my heart that if something were to happen to Ulquiorra…" I had to pause as a wave of dread and fear passed through me at the thought.

"I would never find anyone else as important to me as he is. He'll forever be the only one that gives my life meaning."

She seemed really startled and alarmed by that declaration. Clearly it wasn't the same with humans. I said as much and Orihime agreed that that was somewhat rare with humans but I stopped her from explaining further for, honestly, I didn't care to hear more about it; it wouldn't change how I felt so why bother. I would listen if Orihime wanted to speak about her love though. I told her that and she smiled.

We both decided to share experiences with our loved one. I didn't go into much detail as it didn't seem right to share certain sides of Ulquiorra and Orihime respected that and didn't ask many questions.

I noticed as we were speaking that I had this feeling of peace that I hadn't quite had before and could only assume that knowing exactly what I felt after so long was the reason.

Present:

My blood started boiling when I saw just who had entered the room. I'd recognize those two anywhere as I had killed them myself in my own timeline. It seemed their jealousy was just as strong here.

The bitch Loly sneered at us as she slowly made her way over towards us. I quickly pulled Orihime behind me and took a protective stance. It was a bit ironic that this was happening right after I had just promised Orihime not to put myself in danger for her sake. It seemed I would already have to break my promise to her. Loly seemed amused by my reaction.

"Well, look at that…how sweet." The sadistic sneer on her face showed that she didn't mean her words.

I said nothing and focused on every move she made, determined to intercept any assault Orihime's way. She noticed this and smirked maliciously.

"Guess we'll start with you."

I was suddenly crashing to the floor from a backhand across the face. I had seen it coming but I couldn't let on how experienced a fighter I was and my spiritual pressure wasn't completely back yet. My cheek quickly swelled up and throbbed painfully.

"Akira!"

Orihime moved to help but Menoly grabbed onto her before she could. Loly stomped her foot down between my shoulder blades to stop me from getting up and kicked me a few times. She then grabbed one of my arms and started pulling back, preparing to either rip my arm off or just pull it out of its socket. Knowing her, I really wasn't sure which one she was going for.

She leaned forward slightly, putting more pressure onto my back, to watch the pain flicker across my face as she pulled. The pain was getting worse and worse but I was determined to hold her attention until Ulquiorra returned; I refused to let her do anything to Orihime this time around. Unfortunately, the only way to really do that was to anger her so I did just that.

I turned my head so I could see her other foot, which was in close proximity to my head. I then lunged so I could clamp my teeth into her leg. The movement forced me to pull my already taut arm muscles and made the burning pain even worse but it was worth it. The howl of pain she let out and the blood that seeped from the wound brought a sadistic satisfaction to me.

I let some of my spiritual pressure gather in my jaw so I could bite down even harder. She really started screaming then. She kicked and yanked viciously, trying to make me let go. I didn't let go though, not even when I heard Orihime start crying at the abuse I was being put through.

I was the first to notice Ulquiorra's return and I'll admit I was relieved to see him. He silently took in the scene and I could have sworn I saw his eyes narrow almost dangerously when he saw the state I was in but I could have been mistaken; it was rather difficult to see such details when both eyes were almost completely swollen shut.

With him there, there was no reason for me to continue so I relaxed my jaw and spit out the blood from my mouth, both hers and mine. Menoly noticed next and quickly warned her friend.

"Loly." The fear in her voice made Loly stop and look. She paled and quickly scrambled away from me while I remained where I was.

"She attacked me." She lied, trying to push the blame solely on me.

"You're lying!" Orihime yelled with tears still in her eyes, clearly angry and hurt by what had happened.

Ulquiorra slowly looked from Loly, to Orihime then finally rested his eyes on me. I stared back as I waited for him to reach his own conclusion.

"Lord Aizen will hear about this."

Loly and Menoly flinched at the glare they received then paled at whatever thoughts of punishment went through their heads. I wondered if Aizen would actually do something this time or just ignore what had happened like in my timeline.

"Leave." They practically ran out of the room. I finally allowed myself to relax now that they were gone.

"Akira!" Orihime ran over to me and kneeled beside me. She brought her hands up to her hairclips but was stopped before she could heal me.

"You are not to use your powers unless ordered to by Lord Aizen."

"But-" Ulquiorra ignored her protests and, to my surprise, knelt down to scoop me up into his arms.

It was very painful to be held after that ordeal but I still welcomed the new experience. He stood up and started to carry me to the door. I knew then what was happening.

"Wait! Where are you taking her?" Orihime was clearly panicking now.

"Lord Aizen has ordered that you two be separated." Ulquiorra explained without slowing his pace.

"It's okay, Orihime." I gave her the best reassuring smile I could give at the moment. "Remember what I told you. Everything will be fine."

Orihime had no time to respond as the door closed behind us. The journey to wherever he was taking me was filled with silence that I eventually felt the need to break.

"Thank you." I knew I had confused him greatly since he actually responded.

"Why are you thanking me, woman?" I smiled at the slight curiosity in his voice.

"You're carrying me instead of making me walk." I said with an honest but still deformed smile.

He stared down at me for a while then looked forward once more. His hold on me suddenly felt a touch gentler but once again I could have been mistaken.

He brought me to a room not that different from Orihime's. He moved to carefully place me on the couch but paused when I hissed in pain as he started to lower me. He remained bent over with me in his arms as he observed my pained expression. It was almost like he was contemplating how to go about putting down while causing as little pain as possible but that was probably my pained, delusional thoughts at work.

Whatever he was thinking he had no choice but to lower me all the way. This time I groaned as my abused back and arm made contact with the cushions. He looked me over once more before quickly making his way towards the door.

"I will return with a medic." He said right before the door closed behind him.

I was forced to wait for his return in pained silence. He probably was not gone long but to me it felt like a long time. He stayed close to the couch and watched the medic tend to my injuries and when I say watch I mean he didn't look away for even a second. I assumed he was making sure that the medic was doing its job properly as I had been promised by Aizen that I would be well taken care of but I had no real way of knowing that for sure.

He turned to leave as the medic exited the room but my arm shot out of its own accord and grabbed his arm.

"Wait." I found myself pleading.

He froze then stared down at my hand then at me, looking visibly startled and bemused; he had probably never been touched by another outside of a fight before and couldn't understand why I had grabbed him and didn't know how to respond. Surprisingly, he didn't tear his arm from my grip like I had expected.

The temptation to keep the contact was immense but I forced myself to release him though as my initial intent was to stop him from leaving, which I had. I could blame this moment of weakness on the pain but really I just didn't want him to leave quite yet. I had to come up with something to keep him there though so I asked a question I had wanted to ask my Ulquiorra but never got to.

"I've been wondering…" I slowly started, giving him time to compose himself enough to answer. "Why do you follow Aizen? What did you gain from joining him?"

I made sure to ask in a way that didn't sound like I was challenging his loyalty, as I wasn't; I honestly wanted to know why. I knew it was extremely likely that I would not get an answer but I still waited to see how he would react. Maybe it was because he was still a little shaken up by what had just happened but he actually responded.

"Lord Aizen gave me a purpose."

The sincerity and truth behind that statement shocked me; it was unbelievable that he would share such a thing with me but he did just that. Thinking of the purpose my Ulquiorra unintentionally provided for me, I was easily able to relate to that answer. I smiled tiredly at him.

"I suppose I can understand that…he gave meaning to your existence that had consisted solely of just fighting to survive."

The look he gave me in response told me that he hadn't actually expected me to understand and didn't know how to respond to that. He didn't have to though as that was when exhaustion finally took its hold of me.

 **Author Note: About the past section, I want to emphasize that it wasn't that Akira had never experienced love before as she loves Ulquiorra but she never really knew what to call the emotion she felt towards him and now she does thanks to Orihime.**

 **Honestly I didn't want to write about how romantic love works with humans when compared to Akira's love, which is why Akira doesn't want to hear about it. *shrugs***

 **There we see that Ulquiorra is starting to show some care towards Akira but honestly he is completely lost; he has no idea what to make of her or understand why he is concerned about her and why he shared his reason with her.**

 **Little bit of info here that Akira didn't know but Akira grabbing Ulquiorra's hand caused a bit of a physical reaction in him- kind of like how in romantic novels and movies a person might say they feel warm or tingly where the person they like touched them. Hope that makes sense to you guys- it completely confused him though.**

 **Ulquiorra's feelings might seem to be developing a little fast but then again it was originally kind of fast on Akira's end too. She was instantly drawn to him in her timeline and now it's his turn to be drawn in by her.**

 **Please Review.**


	11. Turmoil

**Author Note: Sorry it took me so long to put up anther chapter. I had a speech to prepare for and a self-portrait to draw but I'm all done now. All that's left is finals.**

 **Unfortunately, this one is kind of short and honestly is a lot like the previous chapter. Sorry about that but we are almost at the big fight between Ichigo and Ulquiorra, either the next chapter or the one after it maybe...don't really know how much I'm going to focus on Ichigo's fight with Grimmjow just yet.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo**

Chapter 11: Turmoil

Past:

My attempt at meeting up again with Ulquiorra after leaving Orihime was interrupted by Grimmjow this time around.

Any snide remark I would have said in preparation for an argument was silenced at the serious, slightly vicious look on his face. I hated to admit it but having such an intense look directed my way made me a little nervous even though I was of a higher rank than him.

I waited to see what he would say before opening my mouth, worried that I might invoke a violent outburst from him if I said anything. He finally spoke after several moments of tense silence.

"I don't get it…why him? Why do you adore him so much?"

The familiarity of the topic didn't soothe my nerves, as his voice remained slow and heavy with intensity, which told me that there was more behind his words this time.

"He has no heart you know. He's just Lord Aizen's pet." My nervous stare turned into a glare as my anger started to override my uneasiness.

"Stop it." I warned him but he ignored me and kept going, voice slowly rising to his usual volume.

"He'll toss you aside without hesitation if ordered to…he doesn't care about you at all."

 **"Shut up!"**

Maybe it was because of my new understanding about my feelings for Ulquiorra or the unusually tense atmosphere but his words hit too close to home and I actually lashed out and kicked him in the gut…hard.

He flew back and crashed into the wall. The wall cracked behind him and he left an indent as he slumped down to the floor. I continued to glare at him, panting with fury and ready for retaliation. He remained in his slumped position though, not even raising his head to glare at me. The seconds drew on and I started to actually worry but then he spoke once more.

"Why? Why him?" He sounded so defeated that I started to step forward but his next words made me freeze.

"Why not me?"

That last comment was quiet and it seemed he was only speaking to himself at that point but I heard him nonetheless. I stumbled back, completely taken aback. The meaning behind those words overwhelmed me though it also explained Grimmjow's behavior and attitude towards Ulquiorra and me.

All this time he had wanted my attention…that was why he always showed up to argue with me. He was drawn to me just like I was drawn to Ulquiorra. I had never realized that, I had just continued to trail after Ulquiorra without sparing Grimmjow any real thought beyond our arguments. I had been hurting him all this time without meaning too. Guilt overwhelmed me and I ran.

Somehow through my inner turmoil I found myself running right to where Ulquiorra was. He looked up from his reading as I barged into the library. His eyes went wide when he saw the state I was in. He quickly rose up from his chair to meet me.

"Woman…what is it?" The slight concern in his voice just made me feel all the worse.

I stared up at him as tears finally spilled from my eyes. The sight of my tears clearly alarmed him but he had no idea how to properly react. I just started spouting out words but they were interrupted by my sobs.

"All this time he…I didn't know…I just…" I could no longer get any words out, not that I was making any sense to begin with. I fell to my knees and covered my face as I continued to cry.

Ulquiorra silently watched me break down with no comforting words to give me, not that I had really expected any. I wasn't even that close to Grimmjow but I still felt my heart cry out in sympathy and regret. Being in love myself, I knew how powerful that emotion could be.

I didn't know what it was like to know for a fact that the one I love loved someone else but knew that it must be so painful. Despite the times I hated Grimmjow for things he said, I would never wish that kind of pain on him. I knew that I would eventually have to face him but right then I didn't want to move.

Ulquiorra never left my side throughout my breakdown, something I was immensely grateful for.

Present:

I was still in a lot of pain when I woke up but I wasn't too worried, as I knew I would heal faster once I was back in my arrancar form. I nearly had a heart attack though when I saw Ulquiorra staring intensely down at me, looking as if he hadn't moved a muscle since I passed out.

I knew that was ridiculous though…there was no way he had stayed there while I slept. However, I could feel that I hadn't been out that long so I guessed it was possible that he just got lost in thought while standing there starting at me; it didn't necessarily have anything to do with me.

I forced myself to sit up so I could be at least a little closer to his level since he didn't seem inclined to leave just yet.

"Why didn't you fight back?" I met his gaze at the sudden question, waiting for him to elaborate. "You possess enough spiritual pressure to put up more of a fight than what I saw." Of course he realized that.

"Why let yourself be injured to such an extent?"

"I wanted to keep her attention on me, instead of Orihime."

"Why?" He asked, honestly seeming to want to understand.

"I care about her…my heart won't let me stand silently on the side while she is in danger." I responded, knowing that the mention of the heart would catch his interest.

"Heart…what is this heart?" I silently contemplated how to go about explaining such a complex thing as the heart so that he could potentially understand.

"The heart hurts yet strengthens you, brings you sorrow and happiness, makes you hate and love, holds your precious memories, helps you make friends and fills you with warmth when you're around your loved ones." His eyes narrowed skeptically.

"Where is this supposed heart?" He stepped closer towards me.

"If I crack open your skull will I find it?" He lifted his hand and brought it right in front of my face. "If I rip open your chest will I find it?" He lowered his hand to my chest. I knew his words and actions were meant to be threatening but they just made me smile.

"If you were to rip open my chest you would find my physical heart, which keeps me alive, but I don't think you'll find the spiritual heart, which is what you're looking for." His eyes narrowed further, silently demanding a proper answer. I obliged him with a slightly fond smile.

"The spiritual heart can't physically be seen…however, I know it exists. If it didn't, then I wouldn't care for Orihime the way I do, Orihime wouldn't care for Ichigo and the others like she does and they wouldn't have gone so far to save her."

 _I wouldn't love you_ , I silently added.

He didn't respond to my words though he was clearly contemplating them. He turned to leave after several moments of silence but stopped when I called out to him.

"Wait." He glanced back at me. "I'm worried that those arrancar will try again…could you please go check on Orihime?" He stared at me for a second.

"Lord Aizen entrusted me with her wellbeing." I smiled at his roundabout way of telling me that he would.

"Thank you." I said, giving him a warm smile.

He continued towards the door but then suddenly paused in the doorway. He whirled around to look back at me. The expression on his face made my smile drop; it was a look that I had never seen before on his face. It was a combined look of confusion, surprise, alarm and realization.

"What's wrong?" I asked, honestly worried.

He just stood there staring at me as if he hadn't heard me. I was just about to get up and approach him when he finally turned and left. I continued to stare where he was a second ago, still worried.

What sort of realization did he have? What could have caused such a reaction? He had looked so alarmed and yet confused by whatever it was. I wished he would have talked it over with me; I wanted to help ease his worries and help him figure whatever it was out but he had run off.

It was almost as if he was running from me…I hoped that wasn't the case.

I tracked Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure and found that, despite whatever upset he just experienced, he was still heading towards Orihime's room. It seemed he was still going to check on her.

The sudden angry spike in his spiritual pressure when he reached her room told me what I had already assumed…Orihime was no longer there. Grimmjow had stolen her away to heal Ichigo just like in my timeline. No doubt Ulquiorra was now going to go confront Grimmjow and get Orihime back.

I followed the confrontation closely, wondering if Grimmjow was going to pull the same trick as he did in my timeline. The sudden disappearance of Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure and the energy of a caja negación told that he did indeed pull the same trick. I'll admit that it was rather clever and very effective as he could now fight Ichigo until Ulquiorra managed to make his way back from the dimension he was sent to.

I felt worry and dread start to build up in my chest as the fight between Grimmjow and Ichigo started. I took a deep breath to calm myself and instead focused on my own spiritual pressure. I stared down at my hands as I gauged my spiritual pressure level. It was returning at a faster rate now. I could only hope it would be back to normal by the time Ulquiorra returned.

It didn't really matter though, as I was going to try and save him whether my spiritual pressure was fully restored or not...even if it costs me my life.

 **Author Note: Hope you guys have no issue with Grimmjow having feelings for Akira. I see it more like an intense infatuation than love but Akira is assuming it is love because his actions aren't that different from hers, which she does out of love.**

 **It was hard explaining the heart differently than Orihime originally did in canon but Akira needed to have her own way of explaining it and I like that she is the one to explain it to Ulquiorra this time around.**

 **Please Review.**


	12. Rage

**Author Note: Just did my finals today...it is so nice to be done XD**

 **I'm going to tell you now that I skipped over Nelliel's fight with Nnoitra but it did actually happen.**

 **I'll probably put out the next chapter later today.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo.**

Chapter 12: Rage

Past:

I hadn't really seen Grimmjow since I had run away from him and I wasn't that keen on searching for him. I wanted to apologize but I didn't really know how I would go about doing that. I was still wrapping my mind around the whole thing.

How was I supposed to act around him now? Could we ever argue normally again? Or would there always be this underlying tension like last time? The whole incident with Grimmjow was forgotten though as something much more upsetting happened…this time to Orihime.

I went to visit her like usual but I was unprepared for what I saw beyond her door. Orihime was curled up in the middle of the floor, trembling. Her face was beaten and battered and her clothes were slightly torn and bloody in some places.

I rushed to her side but backed off slightly when she flinched and tensed. She relaxed though when she saw it was I but her trembling didn't cease. Wanting to comfort her, I slowly brought her into my arms. She fully broke down then.

It hurt so badly to listen to her loud sobs. She tightly gripped my shirt; clearly afraid I would leave her. I did my best to soothe her but in the end all I could do was hold her as she cried.

Ulquiorra must have sensed my fluctuating spiritual pressure since he came to see what was happening. He stood in the doorway and silently took in the scene. Orihime eventually succumbed to sleep while still in my lap. I gently picked her up and placed her on the couch.

I watched her rest, brushing a strand of hair from her face. The bruises and bloodstains on her face caught my attention once more. It was then that I let my anger take over. I whirled around and quickly made my way to the door. I paused in front of Ulquiorra, who had been staring at me all this time.

"Stay with her…don't let anyone in here until I return."

It wasn't really right for me to order him to do anything since he outranked me but I didn't care right then. Orihime could not be left alone right then and he was the only one I trusted to protect her.

He didn't say anything but for him that was basically a confirmation; if he were against what I said then he would have said so. I left the room and stormed through the hallways. The faint traces of spiritual pressure left behind in the room told me who the culprits were and I was determined to make sure that they paid for what they had done.

Aizen showed no surprise when I barged into the throne room, trembling with barely contained fury. Knowing him, he probably had sensed when the assault happened and was waiting for my reaction.

"Ah Gloria…for what do I owe this fine visit?" God I hated that condescending voice of his.

"Orihime Inoue was attacked." I informed him like he didn't already know, trying not to show my irritation and hatred towards him.

"I have come here to ask that the attackers be punished." I said, knowing I was revealing my fondness for the human girl and giving Aizen the upper hand.

"Oh really? I take it you know the identities of the attackers then." Aizen sounded even more smug. I knew then that this probably wasn't going to go my way but I was going to try anyway.

"It was Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia." I spat those names out, hatred clearly heard despite my efforts to contain it.

"Hmmm…I'll have to speak with them then. Would you mind fetching them, Gin?" It was then that I noticed that Gin Ichimaru was in the room as well.

"Not at all, Lord Aizen." Gin replied cheerfully.

I had to suppress a shudder as he directed his unsettling grin my way as he passed me by. I had expected Aizen to comment on my friendship with Orihime but he just silently stared at me with that smug face and oh how I wanted to kill him.

"Found them!" Gin announced cheerfully as he returned.

My glare instantly zeroed in on the two trailing behind him. Loly noticed me and quickly sent a smug, malicious smirk my way while she was shielded from Aizen's view by Gin. The smirk was gone in a flash though and replaced with an adoring, respectful expression directed Aizen's way.

"You called for us, Lord Aizen." She spoke in an overly sweet voice that made me want to gag.

"Indeed I did. It seems Orihime Inoue was attacked and Gloria here," he gestured to me, "believes that you two are the ones behind the attack. Is this true?"

I scowled fiercely, knowing what he was doing. Sure enough, Loly denied the claim and Aizen did nothing to determine whether she was lying. She's guilty and he knows it…and yet he doesn't care.

This wasn't even about Orihime but rather about me. This was his way of reminding me of his superiority over me, the only one who's not truly loyal to him.

"I'm sorry Gloria. It seems I won't be able to punish the attackers like you want me to." I couldn't respond for I knew I would just snarl and curse at him if I opened my mouth. He noticed my hateful scowl directed at him.

"What is it? You look as if you wish to say something. Was there something else you needed to speak to me about?" I forced myself to speak.

"No, there's nothing else…thank you for your time, Lord Aizen." I nearly choked on his title I was so disgusted with him.

I forced myself to walk at a steady, reserved pace once he dismissed me, despite wanting to run from the room. I could no longer stand the smugness emanating not just from Aizen but from Loly as well. I walked a while till I was a decent distance from the throne room.

"Damn it!" I yelled, slamming my fist into one of the walls.

That one punch wasn't enough to sate me but I refrained from destroying everything around me in a furious rage. I stayed there a moment breathing deeply in hopes of regaining some composure.

I eventually made my way back to Orihime's room. I was relieved to see that Ulquiorra had remained to watch over her like I had wanted. He didn't say anything but I could tell that he wanted some kind of explanation of how things went.

"He did nothing."

Just saying that nearly brought back all of my anger but I suppressed it enough to not react violently. He didn't respond so I walked over and checked on Orihime. She was still sleeping so I took a seat near her head and carefully placed her head in my lap.

"I'll be staying with her to make sure it doesn't happen again." I informed Ulquiorra after several minutes of silence.

He watched me run my fingers through Orihime's hair for a bit then turned and left without a word. I kept my fingers moving as I occupied myself with sensing how Orihime's friends were faring. It figured that Orihime would wake just as one of her friends was in danger.

"Rukia!" She cried out, shooting up from my lap. "Please!" She turned to me. "Help her!"

I told her that I didn't want to leave her alone but she begged and pleaded me nonstop. I truly did not want to leave her but I still found myself leaving her to go to the aid of her friend just because I saw how desperate Orihime was.

I didn't really have any idea of how I could help this Rukia as I was no healer but the least I could do was stay with her until one of her friends came to her aid or possibly bring her to them.

I quickly but subtly made my way towards where the one called Rukia was, hoping that I hadn't made a big mistake in leaving Orihime alone.

Present:

It was hard to just sit there as Grimmjow and Ichigo fought. The fight continued to escalate and I was stuck sitting in my room, too far away from the battle to intervene if Orihime was suddenly in danger.

The reminder that Orihime was right there and could potentially be injured settled my inner debate. I returned to my arrancar form so I could fight if necessary and used several sonidos to get close to the battle but not so close that they would notice me.

I hadn't seen Grimmjow's resurrección form until then and I'll admit it was rather majestic but not as ethereally beautiful as Ulquiorra's final form. Thankfully, Ichigo protected Orihime when she was in danger so I didn't need to actually get involved.

I found it rather sad to see Grimmjow lose but Ichigo's compassion towards him in the end made me feel a bit better.

Grimmjow refused to give up even though his resurrección had crumbled away but his attempt at continuing the fight was interrupted as Nnoitra, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, viciously struck him down. My priority of remaining undetected was nearly forgotten as I was filled with a murderous rage towards that scumbag. It took a lot of restraint to remain where I was and watch as Nnoitra's fracción, Tesla, started to beat the crap out of Ichigo.

A soul reaper captain that I didn't really know saved Ichigo before the final blow could be struck. Caution temporarily pushed to the side, I gradually moved closer and closer to where Grimmjow laid as the captain and Nnoitra fought. I kept myself just out of notice until the fight was over.

I was just as surprised by Orihime's re-kidnapping by Starrk as Ichigo and the captain were; I had forgotten that had happened in my timeline. Right then Aizen used a tentei kura to inform Ichigo and everyone that he was now commencing his invasion of Karakura town.

"I'll leave Orihime Inoue in the fifth tower…if you want to save her then come get her. She is no longer of any use to me." I shuddered at those last words as that meant that Orihime could now be killed off by any of the arrancars.

"I leave Las Noches in your hands…Ulquiorra." That name and the reappearance of the spiritual presence of Ulquiorra had my heart pounding in my chest.

Aizen finished his speech by sealing up all the gargantas, confining Ichigo and the soul reaper captains here in Hueco Mundo. Ichigo left to go to Orihime's aid and that soul reaper captain went to find another powerful opponent to fight.

For the moment I ignored the fight that had started between Ichigo and Ulquiorra and instead focused on Grimmjow. I slowly walked over to him. He looked up at me with narrowed eyes that went wide once he recognized whom I was.

"You're…" He trailed off, shocked and confused by the form I was in and by my spiritual pressure.

I said nothing as I kneeled to scoop him up into my arms, which was easy with my strength.

"What are you doing? Put me down!" Thankfully, he didn't have the energy to really struggle. I quickly but carefully made my way to where I sensed the soul reaper captain of squad four was.

I startled her lieutenant but she stopped her from attacking me, which was good since I didn't want to make any sudden movements like dodging while Grimmjow was bleeding out in my arms. The two stared at me, waiting for me to make some kind of move. I held Grimmjow out towards the captain.

"Please," was all I said but that was all that was needed.

Without hesitation, the woman told me to put Grimmjow down in front of her, which I did carefully. She went right to work in healing him. I waited a moment while under the scrutiny of the lieutenant and Grimmjow, making sure that he would make it before leaving.

I set my sights on the hole in the dome roof, determined…it was finally time to do what I came here to do.

 **Author Note: I know the present section was rather short but I figured that was fine since the past section was so long.**

 **Sorry if the quality of the chapter started to decline towards the end, I was in a bit of a hurry to get it done.**

 **Please Review.**


	13. Failure and Success

**Author Note: Here's the big important chapter.**

 **I feel that the chapter started out a little mediocre but eventually started kicking off so sorry about that.**

 **A lot to say in the author note at the end of the chapter so beware ;)**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo.**

Chapter 13: Failure and Success

Past:

The sudden clashing of the spiritual pressures of Ulquiorra and Grimmjow had me stop in the middle of the hallways. My intent to aid Orihime's friend was pushed to the side as I focused solely on the fight.

My heart stopped when Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure suddenly disappeared. I relaxed a second later when I realized that Grimmjow had simply used a caja negación. I panicked again though when I realized that that meant there was no longer anyone beside myself that would protect Orihime. This filled me with dread and I ran back to her room; I couldn't concern myself with her friend when Orihime might be in danger.

Orihime wasn't in her room. I traced her energy and found that she was with Ichigo and Grimmjow. The two were fighting, which made Orihime's close proximity to them concerning. I decided to go protect her there. However, along the way, I sensed Orihime suddenly move from where the fight had been to the fifth tower at a speed that was impossible for her.

I started running that way the moment I sensed Aizen was with her. Thankfully, Aizen didn't stay long. It was then that Ulquiorra returned, putting me a bit at ease.

I continued running as I sensed fights happening around me between my fellow arrancars and the soul reaper captains. I didn't care about them though. There was only one person on my mind and that was Ulquiorra. I could sense him fighting Ichigo in the fifth tower and I was making my way there.

"Lord Aizen doesn't need her anymore. We can finally kill that bitch."

Those murderous words cut through my worried thoughts and made me pause. I just had to look at the speaker to know who the topic of the conversation was. Loly noticed me instantly and paled slightly but didn't back away.

"What? You got a problem?" She yelled, ignoring Menoly's attempts to deter her from provoking me.

I didn't hear her though, the only thing going through my mind were thoughts of Orihime. These two were going to try and kill her and knowing Loly, it was going to be as slow and torturous as possible.

I was filled with a murderous fury so intense it really felt like a fire was burning inside me and yet I didn't explode into a rage, instead I started walking towards them slowly and calmly. This seemed to scare them more than any explosive outburst I normally would have had.

"W-wait. D-don't." Loly had the nerve to plead as I slowly drew my zanpakuto. She could do little else as I used my spiritual pressure to overwhelm her and bring her to her knees.

I made each of my steps slow so she had time to sink into fear and despair. I slowly raised my sword and brought it close to her face, reveling in the fear in her eyes.

"Why should I listen to you?" I had never heard myself sound so cruel and cold. "You would not have shown Orihime any mercy."

I slowly raised my sword up high over my shoulder. Loly was now shaking uncontrollably, completely muted by her fear and my spiritual pressure.

"I owe you no such kindness." With that I swung my sword, decapitating her in one quick movement.

I watched her head roll and her body crumble to the ground before turning my attention to Menoly. She was just as paralyzed and could do nothing but watch the murder of her friend. I felt no sympathy for her though I did recognize that she was just an accomplice; she had never hurt Orihime but had never put a stop to the abuse either. However, I showed some mercy and made her death quick.

I stood there and stared down at their corpses as my fury slowly receded. It was a new experience to be so consumed by anger and hatred that I would ruthlessly murder another being, even if they deserved it; I can't say that I liked it.

I sheathed my zanpakuto and continued on my way this time towards a hole in the dome, where Ulquiorra's fight had moved to, but was once again distracted, this time by a nearby spiritual pressure. I knew instantly whom it belonged to and I normally would have continued on but the faintness of it scared me.

I burst out into the desert area of Las Noches and sped over to where a lone figure was lying. There was another familiar person lying not too far away but that person was dead and I never cared for him in the first place.

I fell to my knees beside the weak, bleeding form of Grimmjow. He noticed me and immediately turned his head away, clearly ashamed that I was seeing him like this. I reached forward and started applying pressure on the gaping wound in his chest.

We both knew that there was really nothing I could do to help but I didn't want to believe that he was beyond saving. He stared at me as I hopelessly attempted to stop the bleeding.

"I'm sorry." I finally said, thinking of the last time we had seen each other. I knew there were tears running down my face but I didn't want to release the pressure to wipe them away. He didn't respond to my apology.

We both jumped when we sensed a sudden violent surge in Ichigo's spiritual pressure. My thoughts instantly went back to Ulquiorra and I became worried about how he was doing against the suddenly more powerful Ichigo.

"Go." My gaze snapped back to Grimmjow's. "Go to him." He insisted. I shook my head and applied even more pressure. He grabbed one of my arms and glared at me.

"Go." He said again, leaving no room for argument.

The tears fell harder as I slowly released him and rose to my feet. Knowing this was the last time I would see him, I paused to stare down at him. He simply scoffed at the mournful look I gave him. I forced myself to sonido away to where Ulquiorra was fighting.

The sight that met me at the top of the dome will forever haunt my nightmares. I was too late…the fight was already over and Ulquiorra wasn't the victor.

He stood some distance away from Ichigo, Orihime and their quincy friend, slowly turning to dust before my eyes. It felt like my heart was being brutally crushed as I stood there completely frozen, staring with wide, horrified eyes.

Ulquiorra noticed me and stared back with what I could only call regret and warmth in his eyes. Slowly, as if it took a great effort, he raised a hand and reached out for me. The movement caused him to fade even faster, which spurred me forward.

I ran to him with my own hand reaching out but his hand crumbled to dust the moment we touched. There was nothing I could do but watch as he faded away. The last thing he ever said was my name, which, in a cruel twist of fate, was the only time he ever said it.

I fell to my knees, crying and screaming, as the wind carried him away. I didn't stop even when Orihime hugged me tightly. I didn't want to be comforted but I couldn't find the strength to push her away. I just wanted to die…no, I wanted to turn to dust and follow him just like always. I knew it was never going to happen and that tore me up almost as much as my guilt did.

It was my fault. I wasn't there to protect him when he really needed me to be. I wasn't there to die for him. It should have been me instead of him and nothing Orihime said convinced me to think otherwise.

Present (Third POV):

Ulquiorra had no trouble fighting Ichigo but no matter how badly he was beaten the boy refused to release his sword. This prompted Ulquiorra to release his second resurrección. It wasn't long before he killed the human turned soul reaper, before the very eyes of Orihime. This made him think of Akira for some reason and he was surprised to feel slight guilt about his actions.

Any guilt was forgotten when Ichigo, who was supposed to be dead, rose up and attacked him this time as a hollow with immense power. Ulquiorra quickly found himself overwhelmed. Even his lanza del relámpago was no match for Ichigo's new power. He simply caught and crushed it with his bare hand, which gave him the perfect opportunity to strike Ulquiorra.

Ichigo's sword easily slashed through Uquiorra's hierro from shoulder to hip. Ulquiorra fell to the ground just as the smoke from his failed attack faded. Ichigo stared down at him then took a step towards him but a spiritual pressure infused kick to the head sent him flying away.

Orihime and Uryu gasped in surprise and shock at the sudden arrival of Akira. Ulquiorra moved his head slightly to glance at her in interest. The bystanders only had a few seconds to take in the hollow mask that took an almost tiara like appearance across her forehead and the hollow hole between her breasts before she entered her resurrección form.

Orihime and Uryu couldn't see from where they were but Ulquiorra couldn't help but stare at the tattooed "4" on her left shoulder.

"Connect, Salvador."

Akira was encased in a bright light. The light faded to reveal her once more. She now had long, glorious white angel wings and her hollow mask expanded to cover her head and chest much like a suit of armor. Her bone helmet was incomplete though and left her face visible. Unlike her chest, her legs were only covered by the skirt of what appeared to be a long white dress. Her feet were mainly bare with only a thin layer of bone protecting them.

She threw her arms out to the sides, summoning two swords made of golden spiritual pressure. She gripped them tightly and charged at Ichigo, hoping to attack him before he was on guard once more. Her attack had no real effect though. Ichigo took it head on and retaliated with one of his own. Akira barely managed to dodge the swipe of his sword. He followed the swipe with another one that managed to cut into her deeply even with her armor.

She retreated further from him and took into the air. Even with her injury, Akira managed to get behind him. She attempted to stab him but he caught her sword. She swung her other sword towards the side of his occupied arm but he used his own sword to block it. She attempted to move away but he refused to release his hold on her sword so she let it go and flew away.

He crushed the sword and followed her. He appeared behind her quicker than she could react due to her injury and grabbed one of her wings. He threw her down with all his might.

Akira crashed to the ground and remained immobile in the crater. Ichigo flew down till he was right above her and charged up a cero. Not having enough strength to move, all she could do was stare up at the growing mass of energy. She closed her eyes in defeat just as he released it.

There was a massive explosion of red energy that blinded Orihime, Uryu and Ulquiorra. They looked back when the light faded and saw Ichigo holding Akira up by a busted wing. Orihime screamed in horror; Akira's legs were completely blown away. Her whole lower half was gone, where there was no armor, and even one of her wings was missing.

Ichigo tossed her into the side of one of the pillars, creating another crater, then slowly made his way towards her. Another cero was quickly forming. Orihime stood up and started running towards them, crying out for Ichigo to stop but he didn't hear her.

Ulquiorra was suddenly behind him, slashing through one of his horns. The cero exploded in Ichigo's face, cracking his mask. Ichigo fell forward several feet away from his target. Ulquiorra watched him with tense eyes, waiting to see if he would rise again. Ichigo did rise again but this time he was back to normal. Orihime ran to check on him while Ulquiorra made his way to Akira's side after resealing his sword.

Akira's resurrección had crumbled away at that point, allowing some of her innards to spill out further. She was choking on blood but was watching him with relieved eyes. She smiled as he approached. He kneeled next to her, confused and inwardly upset by her actions. Her blood quickly soaked into his pants but he didn't pay that any mind.

"Why did you interfere?"

"I couldn't let you die." She said, confusing him even more.

"Why?"

Her hand reached to the side and grabbed hold of his. He tensed at the flash of warmth that came with the touch but let her bring his hand to her chest. She placed it right over her heart. He could feel it beating faintly beneath his hand.

"Because this beats for you...you give my life meaning."

Normally, he would not have understood such a statement but Akira's explanation of the heart before helped him understand. He felt right then that he finally knew what she meant by the heart. This didn't make her words any less shocking to him though.

Her grip on his hand slackened and her eyes started closing. That smile never left her face though. A new feeling suddenly filled him...panic, he vaguely recalled.

"Woman!" He found himself calling out to Orihime. She left Ichigo's side and started running their way but Ichigo suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

"What are you doing? You can't go near him." Orihime suddenly whirled around, directing an uncharacteristic look of anger his way.

"I'm going to try and save my friend…who you just tried to kill."

Ichigo flinched horribly at her words and took several steps back in shock. Even Orihime seemed surprised by her own words as her angry expression quickly fell.

She continued past him without another word though despite her guilt. She quickly joined Ulquiorra at Akira's side and brought her shun shun rikka out. Both watched worriedly as Akira slowly healed beneath the orange shield. Akira's eyes opened once she was healed.

She looked around with a startled, uncomprehending look, for she hadn't actually expected to survive her encounter with Ichigo's hollow form despite what she had promised Kisuke before.

"Akira!" Orihime cried happily, hugging Akira in her relief.

Still in the process of remembering what had happened and where she was, Akira didn't return the hug but allowed Orihime to help her up. Akira looked Ulquiorra's way once she noticed him standing beside her. The whole situation finally registered in Akira's mind the moment their eyes met and she found herself sobbing into Ulquiorra's chest.

He was alive…she had succeeded. Her relief and joy were so strong that she couldn't stop crying even if she wanted to. She noticed how rigid Ulquiorra was but couldn't bring herself to release her grip on his shirt just yet.

Ulquiorra stared down at the girl, startled and unsure how to respond. He noticed Orihime staring at him while wrapping her arms around the air in front of her in exaggerated movements as if she were hugging someone. Understanding what she was telling him, he slowly brought his own arms around Akira's waist and back. He applied very little pressure but Akira still tensed and looked up at him in wonder.

She stared at him for several seconds then buried her face back into his chest, crying even harder but this time with a bittersweet smile. They stayed in this position for a bit till Akira's sobs subsided. Once they did, she slowly raised her head to look back into his eyes.

She silently studied his face, noting the subtle signs of forming affection that reminded her so much of her own Ulquiorra. A sudden desire to do something she never got to do in her own timeline overtook her and she found herself leaning forward.

"I'm sorry." She said to him just before pressing her lips against his.

Ulquiorra's eyes went wide at the sensations and feelings the simple action caused in him. It was a strange experience but not unpleasant to him; it brought about the warmth in his chest he had come to associate with thoughts of Akira and her presence.

The kiss ended before he could truly react to it. Akira had that same sad, bittersweet smile on her face. She ducked her head and gave a faint humorless chuckle.

"So that's what it would have been like." She whispered quietly to herself.

She forced herself to pull away from him but surprisingly he didn't let her. He held her a moment longer and stared down at her with deep, thoughtful eyes. He finally released her but she was slow to move away, too absorbed in observing the changes in him and wondering what he was thinking.

She turned to Ichigo once she managed to put some distance between her and Ulquiorra. She nearly laughed at the confused, shocked look on his face but decided to focus on what was important.

"You're friends are still fighting. Go help them."

Ichigo paused a second to see if Ulquiorra was going to stop him but sped off when he made no move to do so. Honestly, Ulquiorra was too busy contemplating his feelings towards Akira to really care.

"You should go too, Orihime. I'll explain things later." Orihime nodded and gave a smile before leaving with Uryu. Akira glanced at Ulquiorra before slowly making her way towards the hole in the dome.

"What do you plan to do now, woman?" Ulquiorra asked, seeing that Akira was about to leave. Akira paused before responding, aware that her response might put her against Ulquiorra.

"I'm going to go help Ichigo defeat Aizen. Please don't stop me." She looked at him with pleading but determined eyes. He didn't respond right away, as he needed to think about whether he should stop her or not.

It was true that Aizen had given him a purpose but this girl was offering her very heart to him…no, not offering…according to her, he already had it. She had almost died for his sake and not because of duty but because she cared about him and didn't want him to die.

There were no ulterior motives, deceit or manipulation in her actions towards him that he could see. She seemed to understand him on such a deep level and accepted all the flaws of his personality that the other espada constantly made a fuss about.

He knew next to nothing about her but felt the desire to rectify that; for the first time he wanted to learn about another on a personal level. The whole situation was almost incomprehensible to him but he knew that he didn't want to let her go so if she was going to fight Aizen then he would be there by her side; she gives his life more meaning than Aizen ever did.

"I will not stop you." He finally told her. She relaxed and smiled his way. "I'll assist you." Her mouth fell open in shock at his claim.

"But Aizen-"

"I no longer serve Aizen." He stated confidently without a doubt in his mind.

He didn't tell her that she was what mattered most to him but the warmth and respect in his eyes told her that. She blushed brightly, beyond moved by what he was willing to do for her.

A sudden flare of spiritual pressure outside of Las Noches interrupted the silence that followed his meaningful statement. Akira stared in the direction of the source with wide eyes. She suddenly shot off towards it. Ulquiorra followed after her, confused by her reaction.

They stopped on the edge of the dome and looked down at the hollow that stood right outside the walls. Ulquiorra didn't recognize the hollow but Akira did…it was herself.

 **Author Note: We finally see this timeline's version of Akira in the next chapter...it will be brief though.**

 **I decided to go third point of view in the present section so we could see what Ulquiorra was thinking when he claimed he no longer served Aizen and his overall reactions towards Akira.**

 **I struggled to find a good place to stop so the chapter ended up really long.**

 **Ulquiorra has figured out just how attached he is towards Akira and has accepted it whereas before it scared/confused him.**

 **I wanted to have the final battle between Ichigo and Ulquiorra happen in both the past and present section of the chapter so that's why the past section is so long.**

 **Akira's resurrección** **form looks a lot like a suit of armor but with wings for that was her overall appearance before becoming an arrancar, minus the wings and dress though. I thought the angel wings worked cause her main goal is always to protect her loved ones like a guardian angel and also I thought it would go well with Ulquiorra's bat wings and overall demon look.**

 **Just so you know. Grimmjow died there in Akira's timeline.**

 **Akira is the cuatro espada in her timeline while Ulquiorra is the primera espada...I always felt that he was of a higher rank than he claimed, especially if Aizen didn't know about his second form then his rank didn't really fit him.**

 **Having Akira's zanpakuto being called salvador, which means savior, was a nod towards her goal of saving Ulquiorra but also to make her words towards Kisuke in chapter one ironic-"I'm no savior."**

 **Please forgive me if the fights Akira sense in the past section seemed too short. It's hard to have her move towards to fights while not actually arriving to witness them. Let's just assume that Las Noches is so huge that it takes her that long to get to the fights from where she was shall we? Please**

 **"I owe you no such kindness." came from a similar quote from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, in case anyone was curious.**

 **Please Review.**


	14. Becoming One

**Author Note: Sorry for the long delay...blah blah blah, you know the drill.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo**

Chapter 14: Becoming One

I jumped down to meet her with Ulquiorra following. I stared at my double that towered over me slightly, taking in the appearance that hasn't been my own for many years. She stared right back, showing no real surprise though there was recognition for who I was.

There was a sort of emptiness and sad longing about her that was rather tragic. It wasn't hard to figure out why; she had never found a purpose…her life was meaningless for she had never met Ulquiorra.

I remembered what it was like before meeting Ulquiorra so I understood how empty my existence felt. I gave her an almost fond smile and greeted her warmly, ignoring but noting how surreal this all was.

"Hello Gloria."

My double didn't respond but I assumed that was because she hadn't spoken yet in this timeline and didn't really know what to say. I myself couldn't think of anything more to say.

A seemingly endless silence stretched between us. No doubt curious, she took a step closer to me. Ulquiorra tensed behind me, drawing my double's attention.

I saw the moment she became just as enthralled by him as I was initially in my timeline. A big part of me wanted to inform her right then that Ulquiorra was mine but I felt it would be wrong to do so for, technically, I was taking her place.

I stood there quietly as she took in the sight of him. Her enthrallment turned to sorrow as she took in just how protective of me he was. She must have realized she stood no chance in being as close to him as she wanted now that he had met me. She forced her gaze from him and looked at me. It hurt to see her sad acceptance and I felt honest regret for robbing her of Ulquiorra and any real purpose.

"I'm sorry."

Once again there was no response. She looked down at the ground for a while. She eventually shook herself of her upset and focused solely on me with a solid determination that would have made me a little wary if she were anyone else.

She walked even closer and started to reach out towards me. I gestured for Ulquiorra to relax when he moved to intervene and reached my own hand out. I was curious to see what she planned to do and not at all worried for I knew she would never risk upsetting Ulquiorra by hurting me.

A strange shock of energy flowed between us when our hands touched. A connection formed between our spiritual pressures and in the back of my mind I wondered if something bad was about to happen now that I had come into physical contact with my counterpart. My double engulfed my hand with her larger one and held on tightly with determined confidence. I didn't know what to expect but she seemed to have some plan in mind.

I was startled to feel her spiritual pressure start seeping into me, almost as if I was intentionally absorbing it. Panicked, I tried to pull out of her grasp but she refused to let go and actually spoke for the first time.

"Don't." The desperation behind that one poorly spoken word stopped my attempt at escaping. I looked up at her, beyond bewildered. She gripped my hand tighter.

"Please." She pleaded as her form started to glow and slowly break down into golden orbs of spiritual pressure, which flowed into me. It was then that I understood what she was doing.

She wanted to be completely absorbed by me…she wanted to become one with me so she could experience the closeness with Ulquiorra that she desired…she was that desperate for something beyond her empty existence. I had never reached that level of desperation but I could sympathize to some degree and so…I held on just as tightly and let her finish what she started.

I wondered if she knew this would happen if we touched or whether she just had the ability to trigger such a reaction…I knew I didn't but then again I had never tried such a thing.

Curious, I reached out with my own spiritual pressure and engulfed some of hers and then pulled my own back without releasing my hold and sure enough her spiritual pressure followed. Maybe I was able to affect others with my spiritual pressure or maybe it was just with her; I'd need to experiment before I really knew for sure.

I helped speed up the process and she was clearly grateful that I was accepting this. I knew I didn't have to worry about her possibly gaining control over my body, as I was stronger than she was due to my arrancar status.

She wasn't seeking control though; she was happy to just end her empty existence this way. It was really strange and surreal to see her disappearing right in front of me. I inwardly flinched when my mind instantly went to Ulquiorra's death in my timeline and compared it to what was happening to my double. I didn't let that stop me though.

I gave her another warm smile right before she vanished completely and I could sense she was doing the same. Once she was gone, I promptly turned my senses inward to see if there were traces of her left and I was relieved to feel her consciousness nestling in the depths of my soul. She appeared very much like a peacefully napping infant, carefree and blissfully unaware for the time being.

I also felt that I was much stronger. My spiritual pressure level was practically doubled, understandably so, and I could potentially last for some time against my timeline's Ulquiorra, who had been the primera espada. This raised my chances of surviving against Aizen…or at least gave me more time.

I turned towards Ulquiorra with a confident smirk. The openly bewildered expression was an amusing new look for him but I didn't give him time to ask questions.

"I promise I'll explain everything later. Right now, we need to go to Karakura town." He looked reluctant to wait for answers but ultimately agreed.

I brought a hand up to summon a garganta, hoping that it would work since the captain of squad twelve should have already made one of his own. Thankfully, one did appear for us.

"Come on." I jumped in with Ulquiorra following a second later. I created a pathway underneath me without thinking as I sped through towards the end of the portal. We ran in silence long enough for the situation to really set in and for dread to form.

"Ulquiorra." I called out without looking back at him. I could tell he was listening though so I continued. "When we reach Karakura town, I want you to stay out of the fight." I could sense his indignation and quickly explained before he could protest.

"Aizen's zanpakuto gives him control over all the senses of those who have seen his shikai release…which includes you. You might think you're fighting him when in actuality you are fighting one of the other soul reapers or even me. He could easily deliver a critical blow on you without you seeing, hearing or sensing it." His silence showed that I had proved my point.

"Promise me you won't get involved unless absolutely necessary." There was a moment of silence as I waited for him to respond.

"I promise."

I was instantly relieved to know he wouldn't be in instant danger. The end of the garganta was coming fast. I reached for my zanpakuto and released it, feeling that it was better to be at my strongest when I first see Aizen then to give him a chance to cut me down while I was trying to release it. I ceased running and instead flew forward. I knew I was about to make a grand entrance and I decided to try and distract Aizen from realizing Ulquiorra was there too.

"I'm going to head out first." I said right before speeding forward, barely hearing the beginning of his protest.

I burst out into Karakura town but surprisingly everyone's eyes weren't on me. It almost seemed as if they hadn't sensed my arrival, this did allow Ulquiorra to hide himself without anyone noticing him though. I ignored that for the moment and immediately sought Aizen out.

I didn't see him anywhere near the group of soul reapers that were in fighting stances. In fact, the soul reapers seemed to be surrounding one of their own. It took me a second to recognize what was happening. By then the soul reapers were delivering critical blows on the person they believed to be Aizen.

Without wasting time, I rushed forward to intercept the final blow. I held the weak, woman to my chest and pushed the young captain's blade to the side even as one of my blades was slowly covered in ice. It was then that Ichigo snapped out of his apparent shock. Honestly, I hadn't even noticed he was there.

"What do you guys think you're doing?!" He shouted in angry disbelief.

I could see the moment Aizen released his hold on the others' senses. The horror on their faces said more than enough. The young captain in particular seemed to take the situation the hardest. Seeing that he cared the most for the woman in my arms, I gently handed her over to him. He held her desperately but also gently, as if she was about to break into a million pieces.

The pain, horror and self-hatred in the young man's eyes reminded me so much of myself after Ulquiorra's death; I was glad I had managed to save him from the pain of actually losing his loved one. We all tensed when a smug voice broke the horrified silence.

"Well…isn't this a surprise."

I turned to glare at Aizen with all the hatred and fury I've had to suppress through all my years as an espada. He didn't show any reaction beyond mild curiosity though.

"I must say I didn't see this coming. Tell me, Akira, how is it that you have the powers of an arrancar when I have never recruited you?"

The tone in which he spoke made it seem as if he really knew the answer but was just pretending not to. I didn't grace him with a response but he merely brushed the whole matter off.

"No matter…"

He started to reach for his zanpakuto but I rushed forward and stopped him. He dodged of course. One of my blades barely nicked him but it was enough to really gain his attention.

The mocking curiosity from before was gone and was replaced by grim seriousness. There was no longer any time for messing around. I felt my double stirring inside me as I thought this. With it, I felt a mental nudge from her and I did just as she prompted me to.

"Resurrección…segunda etapa."

 **Author Note: Yup, now Akira has a second release form like Ulquiorra...it seemed appropriate. The reason she could now do this is because she is now more powerful after merging with her double. I imagine the two could still communicate to some extent.**

 **I had the scene from the Zathura movie when the main character merges with his older self in mind when I was writing the scene with Akira and Gloria merging.**

 **I thought long and hard about what point in the battle Akira would arrive in and ultimately decided that this point would be the most dramatic. Also because I wanted to spare Toshiro the pain and guilt of stabbing Momo.**

 **Please Review.**


	15. The Final Battle

**Author Note: Here's the final battle. Only a short epilogue remains.**

 **Fighting scenes aren't really my strong point so I tend to just gloss over them, sorry if you came here hoping for a very detailed fight scene.**

 **I might one day come back to this story and write a proper fight scene but for now I'm really eager to call this story complete so I hope you can accept this for the time being.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo**

Chapter 15: The Final Battle

Akira and everyone else were temporarily blinded by light as her form changed to accommodate and reflect her new powers. Everyone paused to stare when the light died down. Even Aizen remained where he was to take in the woman's new form.

Akira's wings had grown in length and the feathers were now sharp and deadly though their weight did not change. Her helmet was gone and her armor was thinner to increase her speed though it now covered her legs as well. There was a row of bone spikes protruding from her outer forearms and matching spikes near her ankles, which were further covered by a thin coat of armor.

Her facial features were also changed. Her ears now came to a point, like those of elves in fairy tales, and fangs could be seen jutting from her gums. Her eyes turned animalistic with a slit like pupil and finally sharp claws grew from her fingertips. Akira didn't waste time looking over her new appearance and instead rushed forward and swung her swords at Aizen. The battle finally started.

The battle was a rather difficult one, as Akira had to try her hardest to injure Aizen but also make sure he didn't release his shikai and at the same time dodge his own attacks. She did have some advantage though as Aizen hadn't fully merged with the hogyoku yet so there was still some limit to what he could do, not that she had pushed him to that point yet.

Her wings provided her with another weapon to use against him and they had managed to injure him at first but then he quickly adapted and was no longer unprepared for those strikes. The battle didn't last long though as she was still no real match for him. Aizen managed to create distance between them at one point and used rikujokoro to bind Akira in place. It wouldn't last long against her power but it gave him time to draw his zanpakuto. However, he didn't release his shikai like she had expected and feared.

Akira gasped as Aizen's zanpakuto went right through her abdomen up to the hilt. Blood filled her mouth, making her gag and choke. Her blades burst as her control over them fluctuated. Weaponless, she gripped Aizen's wrist as tightly as she could and dug her claws into his skin. Aizen didn't react until he felt her spiritual pressure start to seep into the cuts.

He attempted to retract his sword but she refused to let go so he kicked her below her wound with great force. She was forced to release him as she was propelled backwards off his sword, blood spewing out of her mouth and gut. Aizen examined his wrist and scowled slightly at the marks but relaxed when he saw that her energy was having no effect on him.

He watched her rapid descent, waiting for her impact with the ground. However, she was caught before she could crash to the ground. Aizen narrowed his eyes a bit when he saw just who had arrived.

Ulquiorra landed gently despite the slight gashes he received from Akira's wings and looked down at the woman in his arms with an uncharacteristic look of concern that enraged Aizen; he understood instantly that this woman had stolen his most loyal subordinate from him. He tightened his grip on his zanpakuto and slowly approached them while they were distracted, using a bit of kyoka suigetsu's power to mask his presence.

"Woman. Woman." Ulquiorra called softly, trying to rouse the unconscious woman. He saw that it wasn't working and decided to use a slightly different approach.

"Akira." It was strange to actually use her name and it came out quietly with very little confidence but it had the desired effect. Akira stirred and slowly opened her eyes. He frowned at how pained and unfocused they were but was also relieved to see her conscious.

"Ulquiorra." Her voice was so weak but it still sent a shot of warmth through him that made his face soften.

She smiled at him and he found himself lost in her eyes. The moment was destroyed as Akira suddenly screamed his name and pushed against his chest with all her might, which surprisingly was enough to make him drop her and stumble back a few steps.

He watched with wide eyes as blood suddenly spurted out of her shoulder, right below where his neck was a second before. He couldn't see the source of the attack but understood that it was Aizen. He rushed to her side, disregarding the danger. She was covered in blood but still reached out for him. He gripped her hand like she wanted and froze as he felt some of her remaining spiritual pressure seep into his skin.

He closed his eyes at the sensation and basked in the feeling. It was warm and made his body feel light but strong. It seemed to flow directly up to his eyes and he felt a subtle shift that he couldn't explain. The flow of energy eventually stopped though the energy remained. He opened his eyes and stared down at her quizzically.

"There…I've returned your sight to you…but he still has control over your other senses…so be careful."

She was forced to speak slowly but didn't let that stop her from warning him. He understood what she had done. Aizen hadn't shown her his shikai so he didn't have any control over her. Her giving him some of her spiritual pressure was almost the same as him seeing through her immune eyes.

Ulquiorra was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude and awe; she had used her remaining strength to make sure he had some way of fighting Aizen. He nodded to show he understood.

"Make it back alive." Her words were even weaker but the love and concern behind those words was beyond strong.

"Wait for me." He responded, letting her know she was not to die while he was gone. Tears formed in her eyes but she smiled nonetheless, even as her resurrección faded.

"Always."

He gently brushed a tear away then stood up to face his former master with a promise of vengeance in his eyes.

Aizen had watched the whole exchange from a distance away, not really feeling the need to interrupt but was now intrigued to see how Ulquiorra was going to fight him. He revealed himself to Ulquiorra, spurring him into action. Ulquiorra wasted no time and immediately released his resurrección, knowing his spiritual pressure might be hard on Akira in her weakened state but deciding that he had no choice.

He rushed Aizen and Aizen let him push him back a distant distance from Akira before parrying the blow. Ulquiorra let Aizen draw back from him and went into his second form. Everyone, but Aizen, watched in stunned silence as blackness filled the sky and rained down. Aizen showed no surprise at Ulquiorra's second form. He spoke calmly as if he was completely unfazed by the heavy spiritual pressure, which he probably was.

"Never thought you would turn your sword on me. I must say I underestimated that woman. She managed to take you, my most loyal, for her own…then again it must not have been that hard to do. All she needed to do was give your pitiful life some meaning…isn't that right, Ulquiorra?" Ulquiorra merely glared in response.

"How pathetic…only the weak depend on others to give them a purpose; the strong make their own purpose."

Clearly he was referring to himself with that last comment. He activated his shikai then and took control of Ulquiorra's senses. He rushed forward thinking it would be easy and simple to take him down now that he was at his mercy.

Aizen was shocked when Ulquiorra easily grabbed his sword and glared right into his eyes over the blade. There was no doubt that Ulquiorra could see him…but that was supposed to be impossible. Aizen gritted his teeth, anger flaring up, but then quickly composed himself. It didn't matter if Ulquiorra was immune to his power; he was still no match for him.

The battle continued and Aizen found that it was just Ulquiorra's sight that was immune. He used this to his advantage and managed to injure Ulquiorra when he was dodging something he was hearing or sensing but not actually seeing.

Ulquiorra eventually managed to ignore his instincts that were telling him to block or dodge a blow he had sensed or heard coming. This still left the gap in power between him and Aizen though. Even his lanza del relámpago only did so much damage and even then he had to actually hit Aizen, who was proving himself to be a difficult target.

All he could really do was try his best to injure Aizen while his injuries, though healing, were steadily making him weaker. It was like his fight against Ichigo's hollow form but this time Akira wouldn't be saving him from any final blows…at least that was what he had thought.

Ulquiorra had just about reached his limit and Aizen was ready to finish him off when a glowing crack suddenly appeared in Aizen's arm where his coat had been ripped earlier by one of Ulquiorra's lucky strikes. Aizen's expression took on a slightly panicked look as he ripped his coat further open to find the crack start branching towards where he knew the hogyoku was located in his torso.

He felt the hogyoku reacting to the invading energy and felt its panic and fear. His anger reached unimaginable levels when he recognized the spiritual pressure behind the crack as Akira's. All that time it had slowly been battling and overtaking his own inside him without him even knowing as he was too focused on Ulquiorra.

He turned his furious gaze on Akira. His anger flared even more when he saw her smirking up at him even as she lay slowly dying in a pool of her own blood.

Done with acting composed, Aizen charged her with a furious cry of rage. Ulquiorra intercepted him though and hit him with his lanza del relámpago. The damage of the attack helped Akira's spiritual pressure take over even more and Aizen was now riddled with glowing cracks of her energy. The main crack was just about to reach the hogyoku when the hogyoku forcibly removed itself from Aizen, fearing what would happen to it.

"NO!" Aizen yelled as he reached to catch the hogyoku as it plummeted. Aizen was intercepted once more, but this time by Kisuke Urahara, who had just arrived.

Kisuke fired a kido specially designed for Aizen that hit him dead on. Aizen cried out as spikes of energy sprouted from his body and started forming crosses. His frantic attempts at reaching the hogyoku even then were pointless as he was engulfed in a strong material that completely sucked up his spiritual pressure and immobilized him.

"DAMN YOU, WOMAN!" Aizen cursed Akira right before he was completely engulfed.

A tense silence fell over the battlefield as everyone waited to see if the seal would hold. It seemed to and it was then that everyone broke out into cries of victory.

Only one person wasn't celebrating and that was Ulquiorra. He resealed his zanpakuto and moved to rush to Akira's side but was stopped. The soul reaper captains that could still stand and some of the vizards had surrounded him, wary of him despite his fighting against Aizen. Ichigo immediately put himself between them and the arrancar.

"Woah guys! Trust me, you don't want to get in his way right now." Ichigo warned and the murderous look in Ulquiorra's eyes was proving him right.

Still wary, they drew back and watched closely as Ulquiorra sped past them. He kneeled beside Akira's side and gently lifted her into his arms. She was giving him a weak, relieved smile that was brimming with pride. Unfortunately she no longer had the strength to speak.

He took to the skies and looked about, seeking someone with the potential to heal and saw a soul reaper captain beckoning him over. He was wary of the captain but the woman just gave him a patient, encouraging smile. Having very little choice, he brought Akira over to her. The woman went right to work in healing Akira.

Akira wasn't completely healed by the time the woman stopped like Orihime's powers would have guaranteed but at least now Akira would survive. He cradled Akira in his arms and offered his thanks to the captain in the form of a firm nod. The woman accepted it and returned his silent gratitude with a warm smile. Akira was still weak but she still pushed herself to wrap her arms around him and bury her face into his shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're safe." She said so softly he barely heard her.

The only response he offered her was to hold her tighter though he was just as relieved that she was alive. She showed no upset at his lack of words though as she had read his relief easily enough without him needing to say a thing. The moment was interrupted as the head captain approached them. Akira pulled back and greeted the old man with an easy smile.

"Greetings, head captain. I hope you don't mind that we got involved in the battle." The man simply grunted, as he looked the two over.

"You did the soul society a great service in aiding in the defeat of Aizen…however, that raises the question of what you intend to do now that the battle is over." The wariness in his tone was expected but Akira was prepared for it.

"I assure you we have no malicious intentions towards the soul society or the human world. We simply want to live in peace." She assured him, knowing that that wouldn't really be enough to convince the old man. She continued though. "I was wondering if it would be possible for us to reside in the human world."

The displeasure and objection on the old man's face was very visible but he remained silent and let her speak.

"Naturally, I know you'd want to keep us under careful watch. Might I suggest letting us stay with Kisuke Urahara until you are sure of our intentions."

"Now why would you drag me into this?" Kisuke spoke up, tone light and teasing with only a bit of distrust. Akira smiled his way, thinking a bit better of the man after all he had done for her in her timeline.

"You're the best candidate beyond Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends." The head captain was still silent as he observed the two and thought over what the woman suggested. He suddenly turned his eyes on the silent arrancar.

"Whatever your intentions young lady, this man was the one responsible for the kidnapping of one Orihime Inoue. Can you guarantee that his intentions are as innocent as you claim yours to be?"

Akira didn't get to respond for, as if speaking her name was enough to summon her, Orihime emerged from a garganta along with the others from Hueco Mundo. Orihime spotted the two instantly.

"Akira!" Orihime ran forward with a big smile. "You're alright."

"Indeed I am." Akira returned the smile, happy to see Orihime once more. The head captain turned his attention onto Orihime.

"You know this arrancar?" Orihime was a bit startled that the head captain was addressing her but immediately spoke up in her friend's defense.

"Yes. She looked after me and protected me while in Hueco Mundo. She's a good friend." The head captain silently took the girl's words into account.

He turned his attention back on the two, waiting for an answer to his earlier inquiry. Akira looked up at Ulquiorra, waiting for him to speak for himself.

"I will not harm anyone in the human world or soul society or cause any havoc as long as no harm comes to my woman."

His protectiveness shined bright in his words, leaving no doubt that he meant the threat. Akira smiled up at his words. Orihime also smiled at the care Ulquiorra was showing. The head captain scowled slightly at the threat but then Ichigo spoke up.

"I can't really say much in Ulquiorra's defense but I can say that Akira will keep him in line." Ulquiorra glared slightly at the phrasing of the words but remained quiet. The head captain sighed then took on a more commanding and intimidating stance.

"I will grant you two one chance…show any signs of ill intentions and I will have you both exterminated."

Orihime cheered and Akira's face broke out into a big grin. Akira lovingly smiled up at Ulquiorra. He returned her look and even gave her a small smile. Akira hugged him once more, swearing that she would never be separated from him now that it was time to start her new life with him.

 **Author Note: I know I took Akira out pretty easily. She doesn't have any healing ability in that form like Ulquiorra does and Aizen is still stronger than her which is why he was able to stab right through her armor. The fight wore her down and made her use up a lot of her spiritual pressure.**

 **I want to emphasize that Ulquiorra's feelings for Akira aren't quite on the same level as hers towards him and they might never quite get there. However, he does care for her and is protective of her. His feelings will probably eventually evolve into love but as I said, not quite like Akira's.**

 **I know I made Ichigo useless but I really wanted it to be Akira and Ulquiorra that essentially take Aizen down, even though it was Kisuke that seals him away.**

 **I kind of feel that Akira and Ulquiorra's roles are reversed when compared to the fight with Hollow Ichigo. Now it is Ulquiorra stepping in when Akira is about to be finished.**

 **It's really hard to remember that kido exists in bleach when writing the fight scene. I ended up using eight bars of light, which is what Byakuya used to restrain Rukia when she was under Zommari's control in case anyone needed an example of it.**

 **I made it that Akira's spiritual pressure could now affect others like with slowly overtaking Aizen. That's her main power but it isn't very effective unless the other person accepts it or is unaware of it. Really all it was doing to Aizen was weakening him to a degree that the hogyoku was starting to fear for its own existence. It didn't want to be taken out along with Aizen, which is why it removed itself from him. Akira assumed she could do this from what Gloria did before. It was a desperate test on Akira's part but one that proved true.**

 **It was rather hard to write Aizen when he is desperate and angry but I don't think I did too bad of a job.**

 **Please Review.**


	16. Epilogue

**Author Note: Here's the epilogue. With this the story comes to 49 pages.**

 **I kind of lost my passion for this story so the epilogue might not have turned out as well as it could have but I felt it wouldn't be right to stop without putting up the last chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo.**

Chapter 16: Epilogue

I've always preferred the human world to Hueco Mundo so I was happy to be back there. Ulquiorra didn't really share my feelings.

He didn't admit it aloud but I could tell that he felt a little lost and unsure about what comes next and not at all used to wearing a gigai. For so long he had been at Aizen's beck and call and now his future was almost completely up to him; he could do anything as long as it didn't endanger anyone. I planned to help him adjust to this newfound freedom as soon as possible but there was one thing that needed to be addressed first.

I had promised Orihime that I would explain everything later and later had come and I was certain Ulquiorra wanted to know as well.

I told them about my timeline and my traveling to theirs. I had no choice but to let Kisuke listen in, as he stubbornly refused to leave us alone. I figured Ichigo also had the right to know since he played a big part in the reason for my traveling to this timeline. I kept most of the details about my history with Ulquiorra to myself as I felt only Ulquiorra should be the one to hear them.

The reactions to my tale varied. Orihime didn't doubt me for a second and was swept up in the tragedy and drama of it, Ichigo was horrified to the point where he felt sick when he heard he had nearly brutally killed Ulquiorra like in my timeline and Kisuke had his doubts though it was clear that the possiblities of how such a device could be made were running through his mind.

The one person whose reaction mattered the most to me was completely silent. It seemed that Ulquiorra didn't know what to make of it. He didn't even look at me; he was too busy staring at the wall opposite him while he thought it all over.

"That's quite the tale." Kisuke spoke up suddenly with a familiar glint in his eyes. "Do you have any way of proving your tale?" He asked, intrigued despite the apparent ludicrousness of it all.

"None that would satisfy you." I turned towards Ulquiorra. "But Ulquiorra has seen proof." That got Ulquiorra to look at me. "That hollow I absorbed before my fight with Aizen…was me."

Ah, now there's the shock and curiosity I expected.

"That was your timeline's version of me. Honestly, I hadn't expected to run into her once I saw that Aizen hadn't recruited her. She must have sensed my arrival somehow and decided to seek me out."

"You absorbed your alternate self?" Kisuke asked, interest gone and replaced by grim disapproval.

"It was what she wanted." I replied softly, remembering her desperate plea. The disapproval left Kisuke's face and the sharp interest from before returned full force.

"Can you still sense her? Do you hold some of her memories? Or has her consciousness merged with yours? Has it affected your spiritual pressure in any way?" He asked rapidly, really showing the side of him that led to the creation of the Research and Development Institute.

"I'm not going to tell you anything." I replied, knowing that I would be caught in a whirlwind of endless questions and possible tests if I did.

I glared when he opened his mouth to question me further, prompting him to shut it. I turned my attention back on Ulquiorra, who had remained silent throughout Kisuke's questions. He stared silently at me for a bit while I waited for some response, whether it be some kind of acceptance or rejection. Finally, he spoke.

"Your origins are of no importance…you are here now." I smiled in response, relieved at his acceptance and at the subtle warmth behind his last line.

"Yes, I am…and I intend to stay."

Kisuke's monitoring of Ulquiorra and me was much more lax than it was supposed to be after that day. When I asked Kisuke about it he simply said it was because he trusted me. The following days passed peacefully. Ulquiorra was slowly adjusting to the human world but he still often fell back on things that were familiar…unfortunately, being at the beck and call of someone else was one of them; he would more often than not wait around until I suggested he do something or waited to be spoken to.

I understood this need for familiarity but it still hurt to see. I hated seeing him reduce himself to such a state and it hurt to know that he was basically putting me in the same position Aizen was once in. I wanted to talk to him about it but had a hard time bringing it up; I was forced to just wait for the opportune moment to discuss it. Fortunately, such a moment arose.

I sat on the roof of the Urahara Shop and stared down at the commotion down below. Renji and Rukia had arrived earlier to visit and had spent the whole day with Ichigo and his friends but now that it was night, it was time for them to return. The goodbye wasn't going smoothly though as Ichigo and Renji were now caught up in some argument. It was clearly just some friendly banter though so there was nothing to worry about. It was rather amusing to watch though.

Simply sitting there, I was struck by just how peaceful everything was now. It was then that Ulquiorra joined me on the roof. He stood behind me, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement. I leaned back onto my hands and tossed my head back to give him an upside-down smile.

"What are you doing up here, woman?" He asked, falling back on his familiar means of addressing me.

"I'm simply enjoying the peace."

I leaned forward to stare down at the others once more. It seemed the argument had be settled or at least stopped by Rukia hitting both idiots over the head.

"I had spent all my time mourning in my timeline that I never really got to appreciate the peace that followed Aizen's defeat." I continued, getting a little lost in my memories of that time. I smiled his way once I returned to the present.

"I'm glad you're here to enjoy it with me." He didn't say anything but I hadn't expected him to.

"What do you think we should do now that we're free from Aizen?" I asked after several silence filled minutes.

"What do you want to do?" He responded without taking any time to really think about my question. I frowned; he was just planning on following.

"We're equals now." I said, sounding harsher than I meant to due to my upset. I continued nonetheless while staring straight into his startled eyes.

"I'm not a replacement for Aizen. I don't want you following me simply because you have sworn yourself to me but rather because you want to stay with me." There was that lost, confused look again. I softened my voice.

"I know this is new to you but you don't have to be under the control of another person anymore; you are free to decide your own future. You need to decide what **you** want. Whether your future involves me or not is up to you…I'll respect your decision."

I knew he wouldn't have an answer for me right then so I stood up to leave him alone to really contemplate my words. His arm shot out and grabbed me though, bringing me to a halt. He stared at me, just as startled; it seemed that his stopping me had been an unplanned response.

"I…" He started, voice weak and unsteady.

He lasped into silence for a moment without releasing his hold. I could see that many thoughts were churning through his mind and there were even some flashes of emotion in his eyes. I probably could have pulled myself from his grip if I wanted to but I didn't; I wanted to witness his struggle and offer some silent support. The flashes of emotions eventually faded as he schooled his features once more.

"I want to understand." He finally finished, voice steady and sure but still rather soft. "These feelings…I want to understand them."

"Which feelings?" I asked tentatively, unsure whether he would continue to speak so openly.

"The ones I feel when you are around." I had an idea what feelings he was experiencing but I felt it should be up to him to figure them out or I should at least let him try to for a while.

"I guess I'll have to stay with you to help you understand them." I replied with a cheery, almost playful smile. He remained quiet for a moment then his lips quirked up slightly, his version of a smile.

"Indeed."

Ulquiorra slowly changed after that day. He really took my words to heart and did his best to force himself from his subordinate set of mind. He was more open with me too. He actually responded whenever I asked him how he was and what he was feeling. He didn't always know how to describe his feelings but I did my best to guide him through it. This continued on for a while when one day I came across something I never expected to see again.

I wanted to go for a walk and Ulquiorra was going to go with me but Kisuke suddenly asked him to stay. Apparently, he had made another bracelet like the one I wore for Ulquiorra so he wouldn't attract any hollows with his spiritual pressure. Ulquiorra silently begged me with his eyes not to leave him alone with the man but I didn't want to be around Kisuke either so I left with a mischievous wink.

I found myself walking down one of the busy streets that were lined with stores. I looked around with no real destination in mind. I froze when I spotted something familiar in a storefront window.

"No way." I whispered, disbelief coating my words.

It was my violin, just as I first saw it all those many years ago. There was no way I could mistake it for another. It was in the exact condition it had been when I first found it in my timeline, as if untouched by time. Thankfully, the money I had saved up from helping around the Urahara shop was enough to let me buy it.

I hugged the violin case to my chest as I practically skipped to a bench in the park. I pulled the violin out and checked it over, gently adjusting the strings. An intense desire to play my precious treasure once more took over and I quickly brought the bow to the strings. I was quickly swept up in the music, not noticing for a second the interested passerbys. I played for a while then lowered the bow with a content sigh.

"Woman." I looked up at the tense word.

Ulquiorra was walking towards me with a tight frown. I grinned when I saw the look on his face; apparently he was holding a bit of a grudge for my leaving him with Kisuke. His displeasure slowly washed away the closer he got though. Now he was staring curiously at the instrument in my lap.

A sudden idea struck me and I gently placed the violin beside me before shooting up. I dragged Ulquiorra over to the bench and had him sit down. I ignored his questioning look and picked my violin back up. I walked some distance away and faced Ulquiorra.

I took a deep breath then begun to play the song I had composed but never got to play for my Ulquiorra. I put all my love and happiness into it. It had been so long since I had really last played but it all came back naturally. I held the final note a little longer and simply basked in the moment before lowering the bow. I looked at Ulquiorra to see his reaction.

"Incredible." His words were little more than a breathless gasp but the admiration and awe behind them were clearly heard. I gave him a huge, beaming grin in response, glowing with pride and slight embarrassment.

I carefully put my violin back in its case and grabbed Ulquiorra's hand. He tensed for a second then slowly closed his hand around mine. I smiled at him before walking off hand in hand with him.

It was during this blissful moment that I found myself thinking about what I left behind in my original timeline, specifically my Orihime. I no longer regretted leaving her…I knew that if she saw me now, she'd be happy for me.

 _I did it, Orihime…I got my happy ending._

 **Author Note: Hope Ulquiorra still acting like a follower and subordinate doesn't seem too strange or OOC. It's what is familiar to him and he needs time to adjust to the new situation he's in with Akira.**

 **I don't remember if I mentioned this before or not but if I had the chose an actual song that is like the one Akira composed it would be Lindsey Stirling's Beyond the Veil.**

 **Please Review.**

 **Thank you for sticking with me till the end.**


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